In today's society, many people go by the "age doesn't matter" philosophy when it comes to relationships. I, Hope Holbrook, am one of these people. I am 19 years old and engaged to a 24 year old. That's not a big difference, but according to my high school, it's too big. The principal and assistant principal have decided that my fiancee isn't allowed to go to Prom with me because of his age. Their reasoning is that there are teachers that age or younger, and it would be wrong for them to take a high school student, so it would be wrong for the school to let him to go with me. I can see why they might say this for a dance like a Valentines day dance or any other small dance, but not for such a big, important dance as the Junior/Senior Prom. Following are the reasons why I personally should be able to take my fiancee to Prom with me.

1. I am 19 years old. An adult fully capable of making my own decisions. I would understand the principals' reasoning if I were a minor, but I am not. So therefore it is invalid.

2. The Junior/Senior Prom is only for Juniors and Seniors. Almost all of the students attending will be 17+, and they won't even be 10 years apart from him. Also, a lot of those 17+ year olds will be bringing older dates as well. A lot of the Juniors and Seniors in my school (as well as probably a lot of other schools) are dating people that are out of high school, and if they are able to bring their boyfriends/girlfriends, why shouldn't I be allowed to bring my fiancee? I would understand the principals' reasoning once again if there were a whole bunch of 13, 14, and 15-year-olds, but there won't be very many, if any at all. So again, it is invalid. 

3. I'm engaged! It's not like I am able to just bring another guy to Prom with me. I don't want to bring another guy. I want to bring the one I'm going to marry someday. Otherwise, there would be no reason for this petition.

4. My parents give me permission. Yes, I am 19, but I still live with my mother. Since I live with my mother, she has the overall decisions on what I am and am not allowed to do at the school. (By the school's standards.) So if my mother wants me to go with him, how can the school say no?

5. Lastly, he has been to 3 other school dances, one of them being this school year. I don't understand. If someone is able to go to a dance previously in the year, why on earth would that change all of sudden? The only way I could see that happen is if he caused trouble at any of the previous dances or had a background. But since neither of those things are true, I can't see why this sudden change could have possibly occurred.

I am writing this petition not only to try to correct this injustice to me, but to everyone. I, Hope Holbrook, propose that with a dance such as Prom, the following guidelines should be followed on the deciding of whether a date is allowed to go to the dance or not.

1. If the date the student wants to take is 10 years older than him or her or over, then there is reason why they can't go to the dance. (I know I stated earlier that age doesn't matter, but in high school, a 10 year difference could be dangerous at a dance. It's not the same as 5 years.) 

2. If the date meets the first requirement above, then the age of the student should be considered. If he or she is 18 or older and a Junior or Senior in high school, then the date should be allowed to go.

3. If the date meets the first two requirements and officials still aren't sure on whether to let him or her go to the dance or not, then they should see if they are engaged. If they are, then that should be a deal breaker. How can someone deny them of the one they will be marrying to go with them to a school dance. But, the couple should be engaged at least one month. A student can't just get engaged a week or two before the dance and say, "Oh, we're engaged, so you have to let him/her go." No. That would be like cheating on a test in a way. So this guideline has its own guideline to ensure credibility.

This petition is for all the people who are/have been/could in the future be injusticed in this way. If you think this is wrong, sign this petition. If you have been in this situation, sign this petition. If you have a heart, sign this petition. This petition (if it has enough signatures) will be submitted to the school board, and will hopefully show them that we people mean business. So please everyone, if you agree, sign. this. petition.

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