Do You Think Teachers Should Be Allowed to Hug Children in School?

I was talking to a friend of mine who is an elementary school teacher in the area and she told me they are no longer allowed to hug the children.

I was surprised to learn this, but I guess I'm the last one to get on the train. It seems many schools have told teachers they can no longer have physical contact with students because of the threat of lawsuits. The physical contact can be misconstrued by some and that can lead to allegations of inappropriate behavior. Really?  When we send our little ones off to school, they can't hug the teacher they look up to for help, love and learning. Some districts have issued an all out ban on hugging the students.

How did it get this far off the tracks? This really bothers me. But I can imagine if you are a teacher and you've been accused of inappropriately touching children because you hug them, I understand. I found an interesting report you might want to check out that addresses this very issue.