How far is too far? In a recent survey regarding Public Displays of Affection (PDA), 72% of the State High students who responded said that they draw the line at making out. It is common to see PDA, especially making out, all around the school.

According to the 2015-2016 Student Handbook, Public Displays of Affection are a level two violation and are defined as “inappropriate intimate behaviors on campus or at school-related events.” Examples of inappropriate intimate behaviors given in the handbook are prolonged hugs, kissing and groping.

Regarding the amounts of PDA at State High, junior Emma Lusk said, “I see it in the halls…It’s a lot of kissing and hugging for odd amounts of time in the middle of the hall which affects the flow of traffic in the school.” While it is a known fact that PDA often occurs in the hallways, it’s hard to determine in which building it is more often displayed. While it seems like more PDA is seen in the South building, the large percentage of people who don’t know or find the distribution equal, as seen in the graph below, makes drawing a clear conclusion difficult.

Although many students are noticing the affectionate hugs and kisses shared between their peers, most don’t see it as a problem. 64.8% of the surveyed students said that they do not think there is a PDA problem here at State High. Sophomore Thalia Stout does not think there is a PDA problem at our school. “All I see are people kissing, no making out or anything crazy,” she said, “It’s no problem to be worried about.” Senior Reaney Brungo has opposing views. “It’s annoying how people feel the need to do stuff like this [PDA] in a public setting where everyone around them can see.” As someone who feels there is a PDA problem at State High, Brungo expressed, “It makes me feel uncomfortable and it’s unnecessary. You will literally see them after your next class…wait until you are out of school.”

Regardless of students’ views, PDA tends to interfere with the educational endeavors of bystanders and the partakers themselves. Mrs. Saylor, a Social Studies teacher said that “it makes kids uncomfortable and distracts the couple themselves.” That being said, both teachers and students have noted that Public Displays of Affection occur around the school every day. The question is: How far really is too far?