Ask Mr. School Answer Person: "Why have dances been squelched in the Decorah Schools?"

Mr. (School) Answer Person got a long letter from a concerned reader regarding the virtual elimination of dances in the Decorah Schools. Summarizing some of that letter's content:  "Parents and students want more dances and feel frustrated. School officials have punished students for some bad behavior and created an atmosphere where dances cannot succeed. Students need dances, that are all-inclusive events, for positive social experiences. Students are embarrassed because friends in neighboring schools have multiple dances each year. Decorah youth are living a revised "Footloose" situation.  There needs to be a better way to organize these important activities."

Mr. (School) Answer Person says: "Here is some short history.  About five years ago dance attendance at the four major dances – Homecoming, Halloween, Valentine (Mid-Winter), and Prom – had been pretty good, maybe 200 or higher.  Unfortunately, some serious behavioral issues occurred surrounding some of the dances.

Schools are often held liable for something gone bad at, or surrounding, events.  While liability is a major concern, student well being and safety is always paramount.  School officials naturally responded with tighter supervision.

Three years ago, three dances had marginal attendance --between 50 and 75 people for two of the dances, and a dismal 15 for the mid-winter dance. Perhaps more lighting and tighter supervision influenced attendance. But Mr. (School) Answer Person suggests we don't jump to conclusions about the reasons for declining attendance.

Let's look at Prom, the one dance still seemingly on solid ground.  Last year there were about 280 students attending the Grand March. The community and parents love this event. But less than half of the students remained for the dance, most of them leaving within an hour. Of course this is usually a "paired" event, but that low attendance raises some questions about what a dance itself means to students.

It is understandable that school officials aren't too crazy about dances that have marginal attendance, taking on more supervising experiences and the risk of losing lots of money on a poorly attended event. Remember that dances are sponsored by organizations and a student group needs to evaluate that risk also.

Officials say they are not unequivocally opposed to dances. But they will fully scrutinize a proposed dance for safety and success potential. They recently did so, but some logistical concerns got in the way of a potentially good event.

Has the school administration bailed out on listening to students? They would disagree with the sentiments of the letter writer and suggest they have been actively interacting with students – via the Marketing class as a prime example. They believe that student groups are not as enthusiastic about dances as our letter writer suggests – an understandable difference of opinion. School administrators add that they worked with students toward an event last year, the Viking Olympics, that this year wound up replacing a Homecoming dance. It was held on Sunday prior to Homecoming as a kick-off event and involved about 350 students in groups that participated in charity fund raising competitions. There has also been work to "tweak" Prom, such as involving student groups in the music provided for the dance.

In summary, Decorah School District's administration is not actively attempting to recreate an active student dance culture. They argue that student cultures are changing and that current social activities (including social media) have dramatically changed student interactions. The active involvement of Decorah students in multiple activities makes the planning of any event, particularly dances where a large crowd is needed, a logistical challenge and financial risk. Some efforts are taking place to meet the needs that dances previously fulfilled, while avoiding some of the potential liabilities.

Mr. Answer Person adds: We are a culture in transition and cannot assume dances will live up to successes of the past, or that dances are a venue most desired by students for social interactions and meeting people. Does that mean that dances have run their natural course and are a thing of the past? Maybe some have, perhaps not all. If there are those parents, groups or students who feel they can pull together a tight logistical plan, it is likely the school administration would listen."