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FINDLAY, Ohio (May 8) - A student at a fundamentalist Baptist school that forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing will be suspended if he takes his girlfriend to her public high school prom, his principal said.
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Despite the warning, 17-year-old Tyler Frost, who has never been to a dance before, said he plans to attend Findlay High School's prom Saturday.
Frost, a senior at Heritage Christian School in northwest Ohio, agreed to the school's rules when he signed a statement of cooperation at the beginning of the year, principal Tim England said. </div> </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt4">
The teen, who is scheduled to receive his diploma May 24, would be suspended from classes and receive an "incomplete" on remaining assignments, England said. Frost also would not be permitted to attend graduation but would get a diploma once he completes final exams. If Frost is involved with alcohol or sex at the prom, he will be expelled, England said. </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt5">
Frost's stepfather Stephan Johnson said the school's rules should not apply outside the classroom. </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt6"> "He deserves to wear that cap and gown," Johnson said. </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt7">
Frost said he thought he had handled the situation properly. Findlay requires students from other schools attending the prom to get a signature from their principal, which Frost did. </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt8">
"I expected a short lecture about making the right decisions and not doing something stupid," Frost said. "I thought I would get his signature and that would be the end." </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt9">
England acknowledged signing the form but warned Frost there would be consequences if he attended the dance. England then took the issue to a school committee made up of church members, who decided to threaten Frost with suspension. </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt10">
"In life, we constantly make decisions whether we are going to please self or please God. (Frost) chose one path, and the school committee chose the other," England said. </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt11">
The handbook for the 84-student Christian school says rock music "is part of the counterculture which seeks to implant seeds of rebellion in young people's hearts and minds." </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt12">
England said Frost's family should not be surprised by the school's position. </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt13">
"For the parents to claim any injustice regarding this issue is at best forgetful and at worst disingenuous," he said. "It is our hope that the student and his parents will abide by the policies they have already agreed to." </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt14"> The principal at Findlay High School, whose graduates include Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, said he respects, but does not agree with, Heritage Christian School's view of prom. </div> <div class="articleTxt smallText" id="articleTxt15">
"I don't see (dancing and rock music) as immoral acts," Craig Kupferberg said. </div>
