Ping Pong at Prom? Students, Principals Combating Grinding at Dances

While the Waukesha School District is still looking to ban grinding and other the students are starting to take responsibility on their own.

Superintendent Todd Gray told the Waukesha School Board’s Policy Committee that he has met with the principals and several “good” students at the area high schools. The students told him grinding hasn’t been as significant of a problem as thought. Additionally, principals are watching for the inappropriate sexual behaviors.

Waukesha South High School set up ping pong tables at the last school dance, Gray added.

“They don’t feel it as a point where it is potentially scaring kids away,” said Gray about the students’ thoughts on grinding. “With the additional activities happening at the dance, there are other things to do other than so-called grinding.”

The students told Gray they wanted to handle the inappropriate behaviors instead of having the Waukesha School Board take official action. Still, the school board is developing a policy that requires students to agree to follow specific rules at school dances, including “tasteful and respectful” partner dancing that is to be vertical and face to face. Students that do not follow the rules risk being kicked off the dance floor or out of the dance.

The school district may implement the policy in April.

While school board members are looking to take official action, the students attempts at curbing the sexually suggestive dancing did not go unnoticed.

“You have to commend the students,” said School Board Member Patricia Madden. “They want to do it themselves and they can be very effective with their peers.”