Outrage after school ditches daddy-daughter dance due to gender-neutral policy

A New York high school has postponed its annual father-daughter dance in a bid to be more inclusive, but the move is causing a stir among parents and students.

A decision was made to postpone the father-daughter dance at the Staten Island Public School 65, just days ahead of the traditional event that was set for Friday.

The daddy-daughter dance, a popular US high school tradition, particularly around Valentine's Day, is an annual dance event where girls attend with their fathers as partners.

The school principal reportedly directed the Parent Teacher Association to reschedule the event because of the New York Department of Education’s gender-neutral policy.

It claims the daddy-daughter event excluded other genders, and cited city policies forcing the tradition to be scrapped.

The updated policy was established a year ago, requiring future school events to end “gender based practices”, the New York Post reported.

The department’s spokeswoman Toya Holness told the newspaper schools “must ensure that such events are gender-neutral and open to all students and their person(s) in parental relation.”

Many parents are claiming the move is political correctness gone too far, while many girls have been left disappointed after spending months preparing their outfits for the dance.

“I’ve got my shoes, I got my dress,” one student told CBS New York.

“It’s really fun! I go with my dad, I see my friends,” Victoria Cugini said.

One mother told the local TV station the dance was traditionally meant for dads and their daughters and that shouldn’t change.

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“It’s a father-daughter dance, not a grandmother slash son slash daughter dance,” she said.

Dad Gregorio Rosario was disappointed he’ll be missing out on dancing with his girl on Friday.

“I actually make the time for it because we work at night. It’s a pleasure,” he said.

The dance, reportedly rescheduled for March, will be open to students and caregivers, regardless of gender.

“If there’s a situation that’s going to make a child uncomfortable, feel left out, sad because they can’t attend that’s not what we want,” parent Roxanne Ingroe told CBS.