Rushing through the hallway, anxiously checking the time, determined to make it to class before the bell, you round the final corner but are stopped dead in your tracks. At the entrance to the classroom, a weirdly intimate scene plays out in front of you. Two students are kissing in front of the door, hands in places they should never be in a high school hallway. You want to look away, but that doesn’t help. You can still hear the sounds of their lips smacking together as you push through to barely make it to class on time. It’s 8:15 in the morning, and this sight is one that has become far too common at Davie County High School.

Public Displays of Affection (PDA) are not uncommon in many relationships, but they have become too vulgar in schools. PDA can be as simple as handholding or side hugs, which even teachers tend to see as harmless, yet even these gestures can make classmates uncomfortable. Teachers are equally puzzled.

“I just do not understand why they would do that and bring attention to themselves,” English teacher Erica Spry said. “I try my best to avoid doing things that bring attention to myself—and yes, I am aware that’s contradictory because I am a teacher—but I would not do that and garner the stares.”

For others, like economics and personal finance teacher Megan Baker, watching the PDA occur gives them extreme secondhand embarrassment and the compulsion to impart some life lessons. Breaking up in high school already seems like the end of the world, but when past PDA is added into the mix, it becomes catastrophic.

“It’s hard to tell kids that you will be broken up in a month, so this will be so incredibly embarrassing to look back on,” Baker said. “Actual couples spend quality time together outside of school, so they do not feel the need to practice PDA in school. I have had to tell students to respectfully ask students not to smooch in front of my doorway. When you see me kiss my husband, then you can kiss in front of me.”

PDA is not only an unsettling sight to see, but it also represents the school in all the wrong ways. PDA is frowned upon for multiple reasons, as it creates a negative outlook on the people involved. Whether someone is just a student or they are a member of a team/club, they represent the school. PDA is a terrible representation of what it means to be a Davie High student.

Some school teams and organizations, in fact, include anti-PDA clauses in their contracts, alongside rules about attendance and social media. For some of these teams, these lengthy clauses list out exactly what PDA is banned for the team, including but not limited to kissing, overly touchy hugs, and hands below the waist. Additionally, it restricts all PDA during the school day.

Beyond breaking the terms of these contracts, PDA also offends some teammates, especially when nothing is done to address it. One Davie High student, who wishes to remain anonymous, believes their teammate has a PDA problem and is “done with it.”

“Having someone on your team that actively does PDA is flat out embarrassing,” the student says. “The constant text from people saying, ‘Did you see what blank was doing in the hallway?’ just gets old.”

The saying “You are who your friends are” is popular for a reason; the people someone surrounds themselves with are often a good character judge. The Similar-to-Me Effect says that someone is more likely to surround themselves with people who share similar looks, personality, or interests as themselves. As this student argues, when on a team, there becomes less of a choice for who is surrounding them, with the majority of teams having a set roster. A huge group of students do not want to be affiliated with PDA, yet when their teammate becomes a perpetual offender, their teammates become associated with that act.

“There is no need to be all over your significant other in school, because if you are on a team, it not only says what kind of person you are, but people may assume that’s what kind of people your teammates are. I’m not down with being represented like that.”

Davie High is a place of work and learning. Focusing more on hormones and acting on them with a significant other is hindering students’ education. Whether they want to attract the attention of other students or not—though they seem not to care if they do—their actions distract everyone. These students are actively disrespecting their classmates by putting their affection on display.

Maybe these students don’t realize how these moments of PDA affect the people around them, or maybe they just don’t care. If Davie High wants to create a more comfortable and welcoming environment, then it starts with students making better choices. High school may be temporary, but the way a student will be remembered will last longer than a kiss or a grope before the bell.