Commentary: Prom draft ban was an overreaction

Re. the Corona del Mar High school decision to ban the prom draft: I believe the school administration has no jurisdiction in sanctioning the actions of students outside of school. Perhaps school administrators are worried that the school will be profiled as a “bad school,” and be subject to bad press, because of the prom draft.

I believe this is not the perception of the community. The words that come to mind for most people are, “This is just fallout from the unbelievably bad parenting that continues in this community.”

Though I may agree with the administration about the objectification of women with regard to a prom draft, this is not its call. In the administration’s attempt to send a message to the students, it fails because the message needs to be delivered to the parents, and it is too late. This sanctioning of the prom draft is, in essence, forcing the administration’s values and morals onto this community because it thinks it sends the wrong message.

If you sit down and talk to some senior boys you will find that the “draft” is merely a way of the boys organizing themselves. It helps the boys who feel shy about asking a girl who may have already found her date. It helps the boys who cannot bring themselves to ask a girl because they are unsure of the response. The “draft” was started very innocently. To many of us parents it is kind of amusing. Try to see it that way.

If you really think it is an outrage then let the girls figure it out!

If you want to send a message, send it to the girls. It is up to them to feel empowered to say no to the male objectification of women. It is up to the girls at the high school to bond together and say, “We will not be objectified, and we will not stand for this behavior.”

The girls could attend the prom without dates and show the boys what happens when they feel objectified. The administration could send a better message about the plight of women around the world — women who have no rights, no education, no voice.

I urge you to consider all of the fabulous students in this senior class and how the actions of a few will affect them all. It really is not fair to cancel the prom for the students who have worked very hard for four years and formed the pillars of the academic reputation upon which this school stands.

Whether I agree or disagree with your point of view it is clearly not the school’s job to fix the parenting in this community. It is not the job of the school administration to push its moral and ethical standards onto the community.

Try not to take this issue too seriously. There are plenty of other more-serious issues to be dealt with. The school administration should be focused on education, and its responsibility lies in the classroom.

I am the parent of both girls and boys.

GALE FRIEDMAN is a Newport Beach resident.