At Morton East, there are more students that aren’t in a relationship than those who are in one.

Additionally, most students who are in a relationship believe that they have a healthy relationship with their partner. This discovery may be due to PDA rules of the school that restrict couples from not going further than a specific point, making us wonder if relationships are only healthy during school.

Contrary to our report, Reclaim the Internet says that 1 in every 5 high school students report being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. According to Taipei Teen Tribune, dating in high school can allow a person to have more emotional support, higher grades, become more mature, and learn more about themselves. However WJ Pitch says that teenage romance can cause a lot of issues, including immature patterns like cheating, messy breakups and friends having conflicts within the relationship. The American Psychologist Association mentions how communication is key to a healthy relationship, couples should make time to check in with one another on a regular basis. Lastly, as stated by A Man’s Quest, less than 2% of marriages are to high school sweethearts.

In a survey of 100 students, 30 say that they are in a relationship. Out of the 30 who said they were in a relationship, 26 of them said their relationship was healthy and the 4 other students said they did not know if it was healthy or not.

“It’s allowed for kids to date, kids are going to date. If they’re both responsible students and can focus on their school work then there is no reason that they can’t be in the same class. […] We prefer that its minimum PDA like holding hands; no kissing as it would mean their mask is off during this time [of pandemic]. Anything more than that can be a possible suspension and contacting parents and there will be [an] investigation that it’s consensual from both parties,” dean Philip Depa said.

Different from a Dean’s perspective, a student feels strongly about relationship boundaries.

“Boundaries that are more important than anything is the [no] interference between aspirations and goals. [We’re most proud of] the fact that everyone sees us as the [textbook] couple, but actually, proud that we are both able to do the things we did before,” one Morton East couple said. 

Some have different opinions when it comes to boundaries.

“We don’t argue so we don’t have to ‘make up’ and we don’t have boundaries set,” sophomore Krystal Zuniga said.

Just like there’s those in a relationship, there are those who just got out of one.

“Damn bro, advice I would give out is that you should always start out with friends (..) I should’ve listened to my friends. Don’t have high expectations because if you do, the moment they disappoint you, you’re just going to be disappointed and you’ll just be thinking about that moment. I knew how it was going to end up but I kept going, a hopeless romantic. But no one’s a waste of your time, everything is a lesson, you have to treat it like a lesson. I don’t regret dating her, it was a moment, so, I guess,” senior Jacqueline Sanchez said.

Another also does not regret the decision of dating their ex.

“I remember my first break up the most. Tristeza, baja autoestima, coraje es lo que sentí cuando terminé con el. But I don’t regret my decision, not anymore at least,” alumna Araceli Zuniga said.

There are those, however, that think negatively of high school relationships.

“I think high schoolers should be focusing more on school than dating,” Morton East parent Oscar Zuniga said.

Another parent thinks alike as well.

“Yo diría que 15 años para arriba pueden salir porque cuando tienen menos de 15 años, es como juego,” Morton East parent Laura Zuniga said.