A mother is horrified that her daughter might be forced to dance with a lower-status boy at a Valentine's Day party:

A Utah mother is concerned after finding out her child couldn’t reject a classmate’s invitation to dance at a Valentine’s Day school party because it would be against school rules.

Natalie Richard, whose daughter is in sixth grade at Kanesville Elementary School in Weber County, told Fox 13 Salt Lake City that she was shocked to hear her child tell her she couldn’t tell a fellow student “no” if he asked her to dance at the upcoming event.

Confused, Richard told her daughter that she was “misunderstanding” the situation, because “that’s not how it is.”

The daughter’s teacher, however, confirmed to Richard that, in fact, her daughter “has to say yes” and “has to accept” such a proposal.

Still concerned, Richard took her plight to the school principal — who “basically just said they’ve had this dance set up this way for a long time and they’ve never had any concern before.”

Of course the school has to set rules like this for children. Otherwise, all the kids will all just stand around and watch as the three most popular boys and their girlfriends dance. It's tough enough for a junior high boy to publicly ask a girl to dance even if she has to say yes. Throw in the possibility of actual rejection - as opposed to sighs, rolled eyes, and snide comments - and ain't nobody dancing.

The alternative, of course, is the highly efficient way our fifth-grade dance teacher did it. Line up the boys in one row, the girls in another, both by height. No cutting or exchanging. Congratulations, you have a partner. Try not to step on her toes.