CdM principal threatens to cancel dance if prom draft is resumed

If Corona del Mar High School students hold a prom draft this year, the dance will be canceled, the school’s principal said in an all-call message to school families Wednesday evening.

“Very clearly, if there is a prom draft, there will be no prom,” Principal Kathy Scott said. “It’s a very simple decision. We have 800 kids who would love to be able to have this fun, memorable event. It would be unfortunate to have to cancel it due to a group of students who are choosing to defy directives.”

For years, Corona del Mar High juniors organized a prom draft — modeled in the style of the NFL draft — to figure out which girl should attend the formal dance with which boy. Last year, news leaked about the tradition, bringing national attention to the school that was already reeling from earlier reports of a tutor who helped students hack into teachers’ computers.

Critics call the prom draft a sexist tradition that degrades the school and its reputation, while others defend it, saying the practice dates back to the 1970s and is a fun way for friends to pair up for the annual end-of-year dance.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials are not aware of students holding a prom draft this year, said district spokeswoman Laura Boss.

Scott said she was approached recently by a CdM student who said they had heard rumors of a possible prom draft. In response, she issued the warning to students that she would cancel the dance if any type of draft was held to select prom dates.

In 2013, students involved in the draft said no harm was intended.

“The 2013 Corona del Mar High School Prom Draft was conducted in an effort to avoid the in-fighting and controversy that often follows the selection of dates, while simultaneously promoting sportsmanship and camaraderie among the male members of the CdM Junior Class,” the draft committee said in an email to Corona del Mar Today. “The draft was not created or organized to objectify or discriminate against any of the students of Corona del Mar High School, and we feel that is unfortunate that some have chosen to label us in a negative fashion.”

That year, the students live-Tweeted about the draft, and the school’s former principal said he did not regulate how students asked each other to prom.

Last year — Scott’s first as principal — she sent families an email, saying the prom draft was not appropriate for the school.

Her all-call message this week acknowledged that some boys liked the prom draft because they felt awkward about inviting girls on a date.

“Parents, maybe you would like to help work with them on that social skill,” Scott said.

The school’s prom is scheduled for June 6.

Hannah Fry also contributed to this story.