Relatives of an eighth-grade girl in Central Florida hired an attorney after she was given detention for hugging a classmate, local media reported Wednesday.
The attorney, Matt Morgan, criticized the school's decision, saying it "sends the wrong message to our children. They should be encouraged to be kind, not discouraged."
The girl's mother, Kathy Fishbough, said her daughter was given a warning after previously hugging the same classmate. The warning came after the boy put her hand on her head.
"I'm definitely hoping that we're bringing light to this subject," the girl's mother told WKMG.
Jackson Heights Middle School's planner, given to all students, bans any kind of hugging, WKMG reports.
Seminole County School District spokesman Michael Lawrence said officials would review the rule. "If you're hugging your friends, you just won a big game, they're all mobbing you and giving you a hug, or you just saw your friend over the summer and you're greeting them briefly for the first time, that's OK," he said.
The girl's detention is scheduled for Friday.
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