Penna Dexter

It’s prom season 2017, and it’s worth noting that going to the prom is becoming an increasingly complex endeavor. There are some lovely traditions that have arisen, like inviting parents to the pre-prom picture-taking party. And some safer ones, like transporting prom-goers in limos or buses.

Prom presents an opportunity for students to exhibit organizational skills their parents never knew they possessed. Prom night is often a tightly-scheduled series of pre-and post-prom parties, with the actual prom landing somewhere in the middle of all of it as almost an afterthought.

Prom, and its attendant celebrations, are also an occasion where certain students push the boundaries. So, some schools have defined and tightened those boundaries.The Wall Street Journal recently described the complex body of rules growing up around prom. Most of it addresses suitable prom attire. The Journal pointed out that, at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, Illinois, “the do’s and don’ts of prom-wear alone stretch to 21 pages.”  Here’s one of the rules: “The cut of a dress in the back and sides must not be cut below the navel.” Sounds reasonable.

At Melissa High School in north Texas, girls must have prom dresses preapproved by a school coach. Some schools require girls to bring prom dresses to school for approval, others require that they submit a photo of themselves in the proposed dress.

Schools have established other requirements like signature forms about alcohol and breathalyzer tests.

At Danville High School in Illinois, students with three or more unexcused absences since winter break are prohibited from attending prom.

For students who want to invite a date not enrolled at their school, date request forms are becoming standard prom practice. The Sanger, Texas school district requires criminal-background checks on guests.

School authorities place these hedges around the fun of prom to protect students. When students police themselves they need fewer prohibitions. Teenage girls should not need a rule book to tell them they can’t wear a dress with large sections of it cut out.