From Elvis Presley’s hip shaking to the dance floor at Shenanigans on Water Street, it’s easy to see the evolution – or devolution – of dancing over the past 50 years. Pop music videos popularized on MTV have influenced the way teens dance, sometimes for the worse.

Some Milwaukee-area high schools are appropriately opting for stricter policies concerning “grinding” during school dances, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

As the article states, dealing with inappropriate dancing is an age-old problem in high schools, and the tricky part is figuring out where to draw the line between what’s appropriate and what is too much.

The schools’ decision to enforce stricter sanctions on dancing is for the best. Some teens dance inappropriately because their peers are doing it, and these policies will help alleviate the awkward social pressure some students experience.

While it may seem like cracking down on dancing is making a big deal out of nothing, and that kids will always be kids, school-sponsored events reflect on the quality of the district as a whole and need to be accommodating for all students.

In addition to making sure high school students use proper etiquette on the dance floor, encouraging DJs to play less sexually explicit music would help curb the issue. Wauwatosa West High School has asked DJs to refrain from showing music videos along with the songs, the article reports.

The severity of the problem of high school students dancing inappropriately can be argued, but high schools are making responsible decisions by enforcing appropriate conduct at their school-sponsored events.

Obviously, this is an age-old problem, and it’s likely that adults will always strain to understand the social norms of high-school students.

But wisdom comes with age and maturity, and the school administrators have the students’ best interests at heart.

This would be a non-issue if night clubs were being discussed, but schools need to remain a neutral and inviting territory where students can interact in a comfortable, respectful environment.

It’s possible this same issue will come up again a decade down the road, but these schools are making the right decisions now.