Posted on 08/27/2013 9:16:13 AM PDT by llevrok
In a perfect world, every father would think his daughter is beautiful. David Fraser agrees. "Yeah, but she's actually beautiful," he says of his own daughter, 15-year-old Jeana. "I mean, she looks like a cheerleader."
Jeana is a cheerleader. A sophomore, she wears her uniform to Countryside High School on game days along with the rest of the squad. Or she did until Friday, when the school decided its own uniform was against the dress code.
Several Pinellas County schools are restricting or banning their own cheerleading uniforms during classroom hours amid a broader crackdown on the student dress code. In past years, administrators turned a blind eye during football season to the cheerleaders' sleeveless uniforms with short skirts.
But this year, as Pinellas high schools adopt stricter dress codes or simply step up enforcement, the uniforms aren't flying during the school day. Not all parents are pleased.
"If it's an approved school uniform — which it was approved, by the administration, years ago — why is it out of dress code?" asked Christine Johnson, whose daughter is a junior on Countryside's varsity squad. "And why can they wear it in front of thousands of people at a football field if they can't wear it on game day at school?"
Fraser said his daughter was upset to learn that her uniform was "suddenly too vulgar."
"She takes it very seriously," he said. "She likes the uniform. She's proud to be a cheerleader."
Countryside principal Gary Schlereth said he is working with the cheerleading team to find a compromise. Before the school year started, his administration asked the girls to order special jackets to cover their arms. The issue of the skirts' length "really came to light" on the day of Countryside's first football game on Friday, Schlereth said.
Letting the girls wear their uniforms creates a double standard, he said. The district's dress code requires that shirts have sleeves and skirts fall to at least mid-thigh.
"A parent looks at their son or daughter getting 'dress coded' for wearing something short, then they look at the cheerleading uniform and they say, 'What about that?' " Schlereth said.
While he explained away the uniforms as "spirit wear" in the past, Schlereth felt it wasn't fair anymore.
Countryside wasn't the only high school to start cracking down on cheerleading uniforms. This year at Northeast and Gibbs, cheerleaders are allowed to wear their tops to school only if they wear T-shirts under them. Their skirts aren't allowed. Gibbs cheerleaders wear jeans to class, then change for the football game.
"It's appropriate for them when doing that activity, but a school has another purpose, and that's academics," Gibbs principal Stephanie Adkinson said.
Over at Northeast, principal Kevin Hendrick put it bluntly: "The skirts were just too short."
St. Petersburg High School's cheerleaders have multiple sets of skirts. As of this year, they can only wear the longer skirt during class-time, along with a jacket over the top, assistant principal Darlene Lebo said.
At Boca Ciega, cheerleaders can wear their uniforms to class only if they wear clothes under them. Assistant principal Kathy Van Dora predicted the team would end up wearing their "warm-up pants" or sweatpants, with a jacket over the top or shirt underneath it.
Lakewood High hasn't had a regular season football game yet, but principal Robert Vicari said the cheerleading uniforms would not be allowed in school on game days anymore.
It hadn't occurred to Vicari before a Tampa Bay Times reporter called Monday. The cheerleading coach hadn't asked, he said. He would be sure to let the team know.
As Countryside tries to find a compromise with its cheerleaders, Schlereth is considering ordering track pants for the girls. Meanwhile, the cheerleading coach told some parents they could order Velcro attachments to lengthen the skirts. Fraser said that does little for him or his daughter.
"In my opinion, adding some sort of a tear-away Velcro attachment to their skirts while at school is not a solution, or even a compromise. It's just a weird thing to do."
Our church has gone casual and you may see a little cleavage...women like my wife can’t hide it unless they wear very high collar
but no tank tops ever...or short shorts..or cocktail mini
I wear nice jeans and good western shirt...wifey dresses up..I don’t wear shorts but some do...even my preacher and he is a firebrand open social conservative
Thompson Station baptist....fledermaus knows where it is
occasionally suit
but like you I grew up sunday suited...no question
we are praise church now too and a band
it’s just different...it’s what the under 50 folks want...and I think they feel God’s presence but again I agree it can be tawdry for church anyhow
I miss the old hymns most...wifey tears up when they do Just as I am on occasion...reminds her of mommy
in Nashville area every church has an outstanding band and choir
so much talent here
Yikes!!! I didn’t know that Rachel Jenteal was a cheerleader. That would be retarted, sir!
The question is would you want your daughters hoo-ha area on a more public display for all the other guys to look at and dream about all day...
...agreed...but in keeping with the times, I would point out that your scenario is at least the way the Lord planned it...don’t forget, the same area is most certainly under scrutiny from gender confused individuals, whose behavior is not only culturally tolerated but glamorized by our current crop of public schools...
But the bar has been raised since Gen X finished college (sounds like your kids finished close to when I did). Your grand children are screwed if you think sports and clubs in the outdated high school model is going to be their ticket to success. Foreign students aren't afraid of competing with american high college kids. In fact, they don't see most of those kids as competition at all.
I don’t consider myself to be a prude - just a conservative Christian who believes in modesty...
But I have often wondered about the apparent oxymoron of school dress codes that say a skirt or shorts that don’t come to within 3 inches of the kneecaps are grounds for getting sent home... but cheerleaders can wear their little mini-skirts and even bare-midriff “Uniforms” in the name of “spirit” - doesn’t this paint an inconsistent (at best) message to kids?
So, you graduated from high school in the early 70s, too?
Sent my kid to private school as well. I saw no utility in sending another child to be soaked in an environment where games and clubs were more revered than learning.
nice try
Graduated in ‘79.
I remember seeing something like that on National Geographic about 30 years ago.
Does no one know that cheerleader outfits like these have matching shorts? These girls are not giving out crotch shots. Sheesh.
IMO, the games and clubs aren’t the problem...It’s the total lack of discipline and the “dumbing down” of subjects and class activities to try and make everyone “feel equal”....It’s a fact of nature that there is no over-encompassing “equality” with human beings...Everyone has a niche, but they aren’t all the same. Sometimes hard work and perseverance will outdo a smarter or stronger person just because of attitude and work ethic.
Attitude and work ethic is just not important in todays public education system as it was in years past.
when I was in high school (1966-69), skirt length was measured by having the girl kneel on a desk chair. If the skirt did not touch the chair, she was sent home to change immediately. No questions, and’s if’s or buts.
During spirit week, one day was “Grubby Day”. Our idea of getting grubby was wearing blue jeans and maybe a T shirt that day. Rather than the khaki’s our moms all made us wear. I remember feeling like I really got away with something for a day.
The odd thing was, the year after my graduation (1969-70) everything changed. Pot found our small town and dress codes, etc went out the door for many years since.
Different times, these days, indeed!
Most of the Prussian education system needs to be scrapped. Most states have a 12th grade proficiency test that has to be passed in order to graduate. Students should be able to take it whenever they want and if they pass it at say, 14, great! Congratulations, you just proficiencied out of high school! Instead they demand these kids spend 4 years in their little artificial society that is so great it either produces dullards or outcasts who snap and try to murder a score or two of their classmates when the school mandated meds foul their wetware. I’m surprised more don’t end up going postal.
I know. Somewhere in Scripture, there is a reading on the robes of the priests, the colors, the symbolism of the various precious stones that God instructed to adorn their albs, I think they’re called, representing a constant reminder, a teaching tool, I suppose, of the glorous things.
We shared your experience, it seems. Eventually it became too much. The singng of the Psalms were replaced with second grade level lyrical repetitions more fitting for the drum guitar chords and on.
I got afraid if the Lord came in, He wouldn’t recognize the place, and think we were mocking His sanctuary. You know how He can be about being mocked. Anyway, for me, it was getting scary casual. Thanks, wd.
That was PERFECT!
The company I retired from had to put out an edict about casual Friday. We went from suits/dresses to a casual Friday (dockers, sport shirts etc), to every day being casual.
Then about 5 years ago, the casual Friday became super casual for the younger set. Cargo shorts and flip flops, tank tops etc. A couple of the young "ladies" wore beach cover ups with who knows what underneath (as they were going to sun at noon hour, I guess). You know the "look".
I was embarrassed to bring my customers into the building any day, especially on Fridays as they were so "casual".
You should have heard the whining and moaning when the dress code was announced. Pathetic!
I think this is all rather humorous. When I was a cheerleader we wore red long sleeved sweaters and just below the knee white corduroy circle skirts lined in red. But we were in Kansas, it was cold during football season and no one did any flips, lifts, gymnastic moves or even any dancing. They really do not function as cheerleaders any more IMO but as gymnasts performing during the game and need to wear gymnastic attire.
Perhaps they should have two uniforms, one for when they are in class which conforms to the dress code and one when performing at games.
Certainly the definition of “proper attire” has changed over the years and not necessarily for the better.
The answer is obvious. If the cheerleaders’ outfits are not suitable for wear in school, adopt uniforms which are.
A glance at my old HS yearbooks shows that there was not much difference between the cheerleader and majorette uniforms and and the styles of the day.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.