After Viera High School recently changed  its Homecoming dance policy, stating that students cannot invite middle-schoolers or anyone over the age of 19 to their dances, some wondered if West Shore would adopt a similar measure.

“We don’t have [Viera’s] policy for inviting guest over 19 because we’ve had no issues with that in the past,” Assistant Principal Jim Melia said. “Most of our students have a lot of common sense, and because of this, we have never needed to enforce it.”

However, West Shore does have a policy prohibiting middle-schoolers from attending high-school dances.

“The policy is nothing new,” Melia said. “It has been in effect since the school opened.”

During the school year, seniors and juniors have two school-sponsored dances they can attend: Prom and Homecoming. Sophomores and freshman may attend only one dance — Homecoming — unless they are invited to Prom by an upperclassman.

“Seventh- and eighth-graders are given the option to attend the fall and spring middle-school dances,” Melia said. “Technically, they have just as many options as the high-schoolers.”

Student Government President Bianca Tarashchi supports the policy.

“This is strictly a high school dance,” she said. “At West Shore, we need things that separate us from having to share things with the middle-school students.”