Students increase hallway disruptions, rule-breaking by displaying PDA between passion periods

In those six short minutes between classes, some students rush to class, some chat with friends and others decide to act out scenes from cheesy romance novels. Relationships and affection are fine, but public displays of affection, or PDA, in the school hallway for everyone to see are neither appropriate nor necessary.

While some people make the effort to get to class on time, others spend time engaging in PDA in the hallway, impeding the time it takes for students to get to class. Couples are only split up for a few hours at most, so there is no need for inappropriate behavior in the middle of the hall for everyone to see. The hallways are already crowded with more than 3,000 students, and couples blocking the hallway cause even more traffic than there already is.

Beyond the traffic trouble that is caused by PDA, it also goes against school rules. According to the student handbook, “In order to maintain a mature and respectable atmosphere, students are reminded that any physical display of affection in an educational setting is considered unsuitable.” The rules put in place serve as a way to encourage students to focus on their studies, which is the purpose of being in school in the first place. Students come to school to learn, not to break the rules and disregard the handbook. PDA is a major distraction from studies and disrupts the learning environment for students and teachers alike.

While teachers do their best to try to move students along to their classes, they cannot be everywhere at once, nor should they have to be. Teachers should be able to focus on preparing for their next class and helping students get to class on time, not keeping watch for students who decide a hallway is the perfect location to reaffirm their affections.

Others say that the limited time couples have with one another justifies the PDA. However, school is a shared environment, and their significant other is not the only one they are sharing it with. Students should be courteous to others and use their proper judgment to know what is and what is not conducive to an educational environment.

Students should hold themselves to a mature standard and behave professionally. There is a right time and place for affection, and school is neither.