Are school bans on hugging justified?

Hugging and touching are natural human things to do and relationships among most people include touching. In addition,if students can't touch then teachers can't either and prevents the teacher from doing her job, which is a lot more than teaching a child to read. Many children only get caring touches at school, whether from a friend or a teacher. While touches and hugs must have limits, banning them is much like Zero Tolerance, stupid, degrading and unprofessional.

Hugging is human. We all need it. Studies show that babies in hospital nurseries who are abandoned or have lost their mothers don't grow or develop properly when they're not touched . One hospital hired women to come in an hug, cuddle and nurture the babies. Afterwards, doctors were amazed to see they grew and developed as they should.

Many children don't get hugged at home for whatever reasons. Getting a hug in school can be the difference in student growth and development. Supervisors, teachers and staff must make sure children aren't taken advantage of. Children can be taught that there are some places on the body that are not to be touched.

At our school, children often walk up and say, "I need a hug." We give them a brief hug and they walk off with a smile. Every now and then we tell them, "Teachers need hugs too." There are a lot of hurting people in the world who might have been happier children if someone had given them a hug in their childhood.

Good poll!

Simply put, this question is too vague to be answered correctly. Is hugging appropriate in elementary school? Short answer is yes. The longer answer is more complicated. Try and avoid a hug from a Kindergartner or 1st grader. Try explaining to them why hugging is bad. Should 5th graders be hugging each other? Probably not, but it is around this age where there are noticeable differences between boys and girls. In Middle School and certainly High School the answers now begins to be held accountable to civil laws and questions of harassment. I have taught in middle schools where PDA's (public displays of affection) were outright forbidden. These PDA's would often spark fights, clog hallways, and create additional problems for the administration. So, I think that is why there is such a debate here. The question should read "Are school bans in Middle and High Schools Justified?"

Since Character Education is gaining in popularity and understanding, it might be worth considering the lesson lost when schools ban hugging outright. Rather, we should take the time to teach students when physical contact is inappropriate, and let kids express their natural desire to hug or show appropriate physical affection with their friends. It is worth the time and trouble to debate and discuss with individual students when that fine line is being reached, instead of blinding disallowing the community building action of supporting our students’ friendships.