High school bans gossip, one hour at a time.

No gossip? In high school? You read that right. At the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Long Island, students are instructed by a voice over the loud speaker each day to refrain from gossip for 60 minutes, according to the  New York Times.

The anti-gossiping program, now in its seventh year, has been embraced by a dozen Jewish high schools in the New York area, and is gaining popularity.

While Rabbi Sherre Hirsch thinks the ban is a good idea, she is not so crazy about the word "ban."

 "A ban makes it seem like it's forbidden, which makes it more appealing to kids," she says. "I would call it an hour of sanctity, or an hour of freedom from gossip. It gives them the chance to talk about things besides each other." 

She says if you want your kids to stop gossiping, you should stop as well. When you gossip in front of your kids, you are sending them the message that it's OK for them to do it, too. And instead of just saying "don't do it," help them to think about how gossip makes others feel. How do they feel when they hear someone's been talking about them behind their backs? 

Do you think high schools should be gossip-free zones, or is gossiping just a natural part of teen life?