Preschool Bans Students From Using the Term “Best Friend”

A preschool in Georgetown, Massachusetts has stirred up some controversy by banning its students from using the term "best friend." Some parents are outraged.

Christine Hartwell says that her four-year-old daughter was told by a teacher at Pentucket Workshop Preschool that she could no longer call a classmate her "best friend." According to the preschool, banning the term promotes inclusion.

"How do you police a four-year-old from expressing their feelings?" Hartwell told Boston 25 News. "It's outrageous, it's silly [and] it hurts."

Her daughter Julia came home from school one day and Hartwell says she was acting differently. She was sad because she couldn't call her classmate her "best friend." The girl is now hesitant to use the term at all.

The director of the school sent out a letter which says:

It has been our experience (which spans decades) that the use of the term 'best friend,' even when used in a loving way, can lead other children to feel excluded [...] which can ultimately lead to the formation of 'cliques' and 'outsiders.'