Contents
Source
Anonymous, from Pajaro Valley School District
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Summary
This is an partial list of some of the questions asked of 300 Aptos High School students during an exercise called "Crossing the Line". In this workshop, students were pressured to publicly confess to questions about their and their parents' sexual activity, drug and alcohol use, private thoughts, and family history.
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Something to ponder before reading the Crossing the Line questions
Managers
If you posed any of the "Crossing the Line" questions to an employee how quickly do you think you would be fired for harassment or other law violations?
Business owners or HR professionals
- If you asked any of the "Crossing the Line" questions as part of your job interview process would your company be sued?
Parents
- Would you think it appropriate if a stranger invited your child into a meeting and asked him or her to answer these questions in front of 300 other people?
- Does it help in your attempts to steer your child from drugs, sex, suicide, dangerous life styles and other destructive behaviors when your child sees that these are "normal" behaviors of other kids that are condoned by the adults who are administering the exercise?
Others
- If you pulled someone else's kids off the street and asked him or her to answer these questions, how likely are you to be in violation of the law?
Given your response to the above questions, how appropriate do you think it is that Aptos High School sponsored an anonymous group of strangers to ask these questions of your children and to compel your child to publicly confess to each question?
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Process
- Your child is made to stand on one side of a line in the gym at school.
- A facilitator asks a question.
- Your child is asked to step over the line to indicate his or her answer to the question in front of more than 300 other students, faculty, and counselors. For example: If the facilitator asks "Do you have an immediate family member is addicted to drugs or alcohol?" your child steps over the line if the answer is "yes".
- The program administrators advice the school to have counselors observe the proceedings in case the highly personal and sensitive nature of the questioning causes emotional trauma -- which is a frequent occurrence.
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Cross the Line (30 minutes)
Cross the line if...
- Are a good kisser
- Excellent friend
- If you have ever let a friend down in a really big way
- You have ever lied to your parents
- Have snuck out of the house without your parents knowing
- If one of your parents ever let you down in a big way
- Either parent is younger than 35
- Either parent is older than 55
- Parents are divorced
- Considered teachers pet
- Received straight A's on a report card
- Received an F on a report card
- Received a suspension
- Have ever been expelled
- Immediate family member is addicted to drugs or alcohol
- Ever been drunk
- Ever tried an illegal drug (not age related)
- If you smoke cigarettes
- Have you ever come to school under the influence
- Have a close friend or relative who gay or lesbian
- Have ever used the term "that is so gay"
- If you currently practice abstinence
- If you believe we live in a violent society
- Have ever been made fun of on this campus
- Have ever done anything you shouldn't have done just to fit in
- Have ever made fun of someone on this campus
- If you are treated differently because of the color of your skin
- Believe that women are treated better in our society
- Believe that men are treated better in our society
- If you believe you are an attractive person
- If someone you trust has told you, you are an attractive person
- If you have been in the hospital for two weeks or longer
- Immediate family member has had cancer
- Know anyone who has attempted suicide
- Know anyone who has committed suicide
- If you have seriously considered committing suicide
- Have ever attempted suicide
- If one of your parents has passed away
- Learned something about someone you did not know before today
- Learned something about yourself that you did not know or that surprised you
- Crossed 100% of the time when you could
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