Open the prom, for students' sake

Leadership in action? Hardly. It was actually leadership inaction.

Carson High School students finally got to speak their piece in front of the school board Tuesday night about the prom. Some are objecting to a new rule that says they can't bring a date who isn't a CHS student.

It was nice of the board finally to hear the students, who have been trying to get some attention since November. Nicer yet would have been if the board had made some decision.

Unfortunately, the school board did the opposite. It appointed a committee.

And on that committee will be school administrators, who made the no-outsiders rule in the first place, and students, who were appealing that decision to the school board, and a school board member, presumably one who was at the meeting Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, Vice Principal Harvie Walker seems to already have his mind made up, indicating Tuesday night that Carson High will not be changing its policy.

Excuse us, but we must have missed something. We seem to be back at square one. Make that Senator Square one.

Although several participants seem to feel better about the issue after Tuesday's meeting, it looks to us like one more passing of the prom buck.

School administrators made the rule. Then they told students if they didn't like it, to go to the school board. The board spent three months trying to figure out a way to keep the issue off the agenda so it wouldn't get in the middle of sticky situation. When the board finally heard the issue, it punted to a committee.

Open the prom. Take whatever precautions necessary, although we strongly suspect nothing will happen at this prom that hasn't happened as long as there have been proms.

If in fact the committee actually intends to give the prom rule an objective review, it ought to also consider that there really are no rules relative to attendance of football, basketball or baseball games. So far we can can tell any student with the price of admission can attend a Carson High game. Perhaps the "no outsider" rules are less rigid when it comes to generating revenues.

And what about the boys and girls who can't find a date on campus? Gee, unless there are exactly as many boys as there are girls at Carson City High, isn't it possible that a student or two will have to go off campus for a date, go alone, or stay home?

School officials like to talk about learning the lessons of Columbine High School. Unfortunately, they seem to have missed the point entirely.

The Columbine tragedy wasn't about lack of security, or outside influences on a school, or availability of weapons.

It was about ignoring a couple of teenagers - Columbine students - until it was too late.