A mom said her middle school student in Carroll County was written up for hugging a fellow student.
“My daughter has never been in trouble at school, until today,” the girl’s mother posted on Facebook.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said that her daughter hugged a girl who was upset.
The middle schooler received a “level one offense” for inappropriate public displays of affection. The hug apparently happened in the art room at Villa Rica Middle School.
Carroll County Schools did not comment on the specific case, but referred 11Alive to the district’s student handbook – which stated that public displays of affection at middle and high schools can range from a warning to short-term suspension.
11Alive reached out to other districts across metro Atlanta.
Gwinnett County Public Schools said it has a policy against sexual harassment and battery, along with any unwanted touching or intimacy. Atlanta Public Schools has a policy against “excessive” public displays of affection.
However, hugging was not against district code of conduct in either district.