School Board Expels Teens For Kissing On Bus

We can all understand why some school boards are getting stricter in cases of sexual misconduct but this is asinine.

Because two Blythewood High School teenagers were caught kissing on the school bus, the school board decided to expel the both of them for the entire academic year, the Associated Press reported. The school is located in Blythewood, S.C.

“I saw the tape. They kissed maybe two minutes and the rest of bus ride home they leaned back on seat and that was it,” Jody Free, mother of ousted teen Dominique Goyner, told the Associated Press. “Had it been anything different, I would have said ‘OK you two have to suffer the consequences.’”

A message left for the girl’s lawyer was not returned and the school district refused to comment, except that it stands by the school board’s ludicrous decision.

All this has done is ruined two teens’ social lives and more importantly, their academic and professional careers. According to the story, Goyner receive awards for his service at the Blythewood High School JROTC and that now that he’s being home schooled, he hopes that does not hurt his chances to attend a military academy after he graduates.

Sure, kissing on a school bus, while a video camera is recording this act of passion, may not be the smartest thing to do but hey, these are two teenagers we are talking about. It’s not as if these two were having a “Lewinsky Moment.”

It seems as if the school board has a zero tolerance policy about any type of public displays of affection, which it seems to be labeled as “sexual misconduct.” We often hear in some schools that even hugging is not allowed without dire consequences.

Thankfully, it has been reported that parents for both teenagers will settle the matter in circuit court, which is a shame that that is the only place where this nonsense can be dealt with.

Let kids be kids. Allow them the freedom to express themselves as long as it’s within the line of civility. If not, such as the case of Romeo Dominique Goyner and his unnamed girlfriend, a warning is fine, but ruining two lives just results in big, fat “Fs” for members of the school board.

It’s time for the school board to reevaluate its “sexual misconduct” policy and start giving out appropriate punishments to fit the “crime.”