It’s pretty common for middle and elementary schools to hold a field day around the time of spring break. Usually, the most risque thing you’ll see is some faculty or staff member going into the dunk tank. But if your kid went to Desert Hills Middle School in Kennewick, WA, they got to experience something a little more exotic. A faculty vs. student “licking contest.”

Perhaps as a way of using left-over COVID protective gear, the contest used two panes of plexiglass in a wood frame. Marshmallow cream was smeared on each side in the same position, and then something happened that, in my view, was wildly inappropriate.

I’m not a prude, but I must admit that the male teacher gripping the back of the kid’s head in the first pairing as they licked the same spot had a creepy, pedo vibe to it (NTTAWWT) that a prudent school administration might want to look into. It wasn’t like the drag queen battle cry of, “it won’t lick itself,” at a children’s event that is totally a blessing of liberty, but it has the same visceral effect on me.

Even the crowd wasn’t all completely fine with it. You can hear “ew,” “disgusting,” “that’s so gross,” and “what the heck?” In one blinding flash of the obvious, a kid yells, “who thought that this was a good idea?” Indeed, who thought this was a good idea?

According to KTTH radio host Jason Rantz, a lot of parents were dumbfounded:

“When I first saw the video I was mortified,” the mom told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “The pure lack of judgment was horrifying by the display of behavior from the trusted adults in the room. What got me even more upset was when I saw the principal laughing and then pulling his phone out to videotape or take pictures of the event. He seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the game, instead of protecting our children and stopping the game.”

As one mother told the local NBC affiliate that her daughter was creeped out by the obvious sexual undertone of the event, “If 12-year-olds can grasp that then…yeah, it’s a little concerning that I’m trusting those people with my kid that can’t even make that decision on their own.”

Eventually, this fiasco created enough attention that what passes for adult leadership in public education stepped in.

The principal, Casey Gant, who was filming the event, no less, and said nothing, suddenly decided that mistakes had been made.

“On behalf of Desert Hills Middle School, I would like to apologize for the activity that took place during our recent assembly,” he wrote. “As building principal, I take ownership for the events that occur in my school, and I recognize the impact that this situation has had on our school community. I am committed to the safety of our students and staff and will ensure that all future activities meet the highest professional standards and adhere to district policy. Again, I apologize that this incident occurred and for the negativity brought to the Desert Hills community.”

In public education, taking “ownership” doesn’t affect your career.

The school superintendent, Dr. Traci Pierce, raced to control the damage.

“This activity does not reflect the high standards we hold for our staff members as outlined in district policy,” she wrote. “The content of a video being shared on social media is highly concerning, and the situation is currently being investigated by the district.”

…

“While there is no question about the appropriateness of the activity and its negative impact, after thoroughly investigating how and why this particular activity took place, it is clear that the intent of the activity was innocent and not ill-intended,” Pierce wrote. “There is zero evidence to suggest or support that this was in any way ‘grooming’ activity on the part of organizers or participants. That being said, the fact that the activity was planned, occurred, and not stopped, shows a lack of sound discernment and good judgement [sic], and the activity is not aligned with district expectations.”

The obsession that school district employees across the country show with sexualizing young children is deeply troubling. My advice to parents would be if you can take your kid out of public school, you need to do so at the first possible moment. If school teachers and administrators are comfortable enough to do this with parents watching, you have no idea what they are doing when you don’t.

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