Recently, there has been question as to how much PDA is too much in Centralia High School.  PDA, or personal display of affection, is a subject of controversy among the students and the faculty.  Most would agree that when showing affection to a significant other there are boundaries and stepping over those boundaries causes many other students to feel uncomfortable.  Not everyone sees fireworks when couples kiss by their locker.  Others have no opinion on the matter.

A student from another school, Dana, age 16 says in regard to PDA, “You shouldn’t really be making out in the hallways.  That’s not what you should be doing in school.  You can do that on your own time”  (“Public Displays of Affection”).  Many students who don’t participate in acts of PDA would agree with this statement.  

The big questions are what do the other students and teachers think when they see an excessive amount of PDA in the hallway and just how much is TOO much?  “You have somebody holding hands and touching inappropriate body parts as they’re walking down the hall,” says Paula Bryman, Licensed Certified Social Worker.  “Is that going to offend somebody else...is that going to make them late for class...is that going to make them focused on their boyfriend and not their academics?” (“Public Displays of Affection”).  Is she right?  Are students focused more on their significant other than their studies?

The above comments have been made from outside sources on http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/2005/258_dec7/affect.html.  However, this student -led research project has been conducted in attempt to voice the opinions of CHS students, faculty, and administrators to determine what exactly is “okay” in terms of public display of affection with a significant other in high school.  Check out the video “PDA in CHS” for interviews from local students and faculty members in our debate video gallery.