Break Down The “Wall” of Parietals

The word “parietal” derives from the Latin word “paries,” which literally translates as a “wall.” This makes sense, because the only thing parietals accomplish is the creation of a wall dividing the two genders.

Developing a normal and healthy friendship with a member of the opposite sex is constrained by the rules implemented by the administration to prevent inappropriate relationships.

The idea that the administration has the power to completely ban all intimate behavior between high schoolers on campus is unrealistic.

It is inconsistent for the administration to expect adult-like behavior in the classroom and not return the same trust for behavior behind closed doors with friends and significant others.

The teachers at Deerfield also show inconsistency regarding the rules. Which room to get parietals in is almost always decided by which teacher is considered the most lenient and least likely to check.

Regardless of who the teacher checking you in is, you always feel like you are suspected of doing something wrong.

Last spring, I had a test in a class that my friend (male) was helping me study for. As it was close to curfew, and walking to the library would give us only a few minutes to work before turning around, we decided to get study parietals.

When checking in, we were aggressively warned by the faculty resident that we would be checked on. The entire time we were working at the desk in my friend’s room, during which time we were checked on more than once, I couldn’t help but feel like I was doing something wrong.

I got much less out of studying given the hostile environment created by the teacher on duty.

I hope that someday the administration will see that such restricted parietals do more harm than good, that we will be given the respect that we have earned and be trusted to make good decisions on our own, not decisions that the administration makes for us.