BENNINGTON, Vt. – Some in Bennington, Vermont are comparing the recent decision by school officials to cancel a homecoming dance over concerns about twerking and other sexualized dancing to the 1984 cult classic “Footloose.”

But officials at Mount Anthony Union High School are defending their decision as a safety precaution, and blaming Miley Cyrus for ruining it for everybody.

MAUHS Principal Sue Maguire and Dean of Students David Beriau wrote in a letter to the editor of the Bennington Banner:

Over the past couple of years, since Miley Cyrus took the stage ‘twerking’ at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, our students’ dancing behavior has crossed the line of what we can condone as appropriate behavior at school. Twerking is dancing to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving a low squatting stance and thrusting movements. Students to not face one another or remain with the same person for the length of the song.

When faculty spoke with some of our students about how the dancing starts between two people, we were told by students that someone just comes up behind you and starts. One female described being uncomfortable when a male student she didn’t know started “grinding” with her from behind. Other students in the discussion agreed with her and said it is not uncommon. They explained to us no one asks permission before “grinding” nor do they ask the other person if they want to dance.

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School officials contend the dirty dancing is impossible to stop, and have been discussing the issue with student leaders since last spring, but have yet to come up with a solution. They assured readers other homecoming festivities will go on as scheduled.

“Although this has been a disappointing decision for many of our students, we’re seizing this opportunity to engage in thoughtful problem-solving conversations with them in hopes of having dances in the future,” the educators wrote.

Local resident Count Jeffrey Grimshaw obviously disagreed with the school’s decision in a Facebook post following the editorial.

“There appears to have been ZERO consideration given to the PR fallout when this decision was made. This is a media frenzy story, given the ‘Footloose’ connection,” he posted. “Once again Bennington has exercised ‘FIRE..ready..aim’ in its decision making process. And for this we will fall flat on our faces once again on the national stage.”

Maguire took offense to the “Footloose” comparison in a Bennington Banner follow up story.

“This is nothing like ‘Footloose,’” she told the news site. “This a safety concern for us. We, as educators, need to make sure students feel healthy and safe on our campus. If you look at the dancing in ‘Footloose,’ and the dancing we’re seeing, they’re not the same at all.”

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MAUHS alum Emily Pascucci believes the real problem stems from the district’s lack of enforcement during school dances.

“How about getting chaperones who actually do their jobs? I wasn’t part of the grinding circle, but I sure could see that no one was correcting their bad behavior!” Pasucci posted to Facebook. “The chaperones all stood in one corner talking to each other. So now the whole school has to pay the price.”

While school leaders contend “it is very difficult to get into the middle of the clusters to monitor every student who is dancing inappropriately,” officials at another school said it’s really not that hard.

Hoosick Falls Central School Principal Stacy Vadney told the Banner students at that high school’s dances are given one warning if caught dancing inappropriately, and then are kicked out if they don’t listen.

“Students like the dances, and they want to stay,” she said. HFCS chaperones also receive training before school starts, and school faculty talk to students about what’s allowable and what’s not.

A group of Bennington parents and students started a “Bring Back Homecoming Dance to MAUHS” petition on iPetitions.com, where it has received 281 signatures.

“I don’t believe all of the students should be punished for the poor choices of some. I think the parents need to be held accountable for their kids’ actions also!” Shannon Besse, a local parent wrote on the petition site.

“Instead of ruining a special occasion for a lot of good kids, stop the ones not dressed appropriately at the door, (have) the ones that are dry humping on the dance floor pulled aside and have their parents called and explain why they are being asked to leave.”