(Image Source: WOFL)


BY ERIK SHUTE AND CHRISTINA HARTMAN



A hallway hug no-no got two Florida students suspended.

WXIN has more on what happened when 14-year-old Nickolas Martinez decided to hug his friend in the hallway before heading to class.

“They say so what’s the big deal? The Florida school says the problem is his best friend is a girl in their hunt violates a school policy. It is a no public display of the affection role -- zero tolerance.”

And the principle saw their peer to peer PDA. Martinez and the recipient, a 14-year-old girl were hauled to the dean’s office. His mother thinks the situation is outrageous and tells KXAN, Nickolas was just expressing his affectionate cultural heritage.

NICKOLAS: "A lot of kids hugging. I just happened to be the one caught doing it."
MOTHER: “I was livid. First of all we are a Hispanic cultural family and hugging is part of who we are.”

Nickolas’ mother is now fighting to change the hands-off policy. But when it comes to any PDA, hugs, kisses- even hand-holding - Brevard County School spokesperson Christine Davis says, “No. Means, no.” (Video: WOFL)

"Our focus is on learning; therefore, we cannot discriminate or make an opinion on what is an appropriate hug, what's not an appropriate hug... What you may think is appropriate, another person may view as inappropriate."

A writer for The Stir thinks the administration might just be afraid hugs will lead to ‘dare we say more.’ She says...

“...the hug has been caught up in this puritanical fear that any form of physical contact will immediately send these hormonal teenagers scurrying for the closest janitor's closet to get freak nasty... [Martinez] deserves a slap on the back for showing a little kindness in one of the last places any of us remember finding it.”

So should ‘high fives’ be given with gloves too? Maybe not, but Florida Today reports the buddy squeeze protocol could be catching on.

“A Google search for ‘schools ban hugs’ brings up more than 3 million hits. At Portland’s West Sylvan Middle, hugging became such a trendy thing a couple of years ago that kids, especially girls, were screaming and running down the hall to jump into each other’s arms between classes.”
 

The in school suspension will stay on Nickolas’ permanent record.