High school students suspended for 'twerking'–what's the big deal?

A group of about 30 teenagers were suspended from San Diego's Scripps Ranch High School when the administration got a hold of a homemade music video. The video features a number of females 'twerking' and a male student kind of half rapping.

So I guess I have to explain what twerking is (or you can watch the video below):

Step 1: Go into a handstand position facing a wall and pin your legs to the wall as if you're squatting.

Step 2: Shake your butt

Step 3: Repeat

Students are outraged, parents are outraged, teachers are outraged, the media is outraged, everyone is OUTRAGED! But wait.. lets pull back the reins for a second. What's the problem here? I can completely understand reprimanding these students if they were doing it on school grounds, but–oh wait, they were!

According to everyge article about this, the school's handbook discourages—like most, I imagine—"verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature made by someone from or in the educational setting."

Dancing is supposed to be fun and freeing – that includes anything in the realm of twerking, grinding, tap dancing  or whatever gets your body moving. By all means, dance however you want. But, for God's sake don't shake your butt up and down in the recess yard!

I firmly believe that students should be allowed to conduct themselves however they please off of school grounds. If this hadn't taken place within the institution's facilities, then suspension would have been a bit extreme. But, this isn't a Footloose situation; this is a case of a group of silly kids making a very poor judgment call. Personally, I blame the music video's location scout.

Many people are holding Diplo responsible for influencing a young generation of twerkers. The well-known Philadelphia music producer popularized the style of dance when he released a video for a song titled "Express Yourself" in 2012 (see here). Diplo actually ended up weighing in on the situation, and you can view it here.

In conclusion: Twerk all you want, just not at school... ya dummy.