Posted on 06/19/2021 11:14:33 AM PDT by L.A.Justice
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – After parents and female students at Bartram Trail High School became outraged that yearbook photos deemed in violation of the student code of conduct had been edited without their knowledge, the St. Johns County School District said it is offering refunds to anyone calling about the issue.
Many of the photos of female students were digitally altered to make them appear more modest, but the students say it was unnecessary and unfair.
Riley O’Keefe is a freshman at Bartram Trail High School. She was surprised Wednesday when she got ahold of the yearbook and noticed something different about her photo.
“There’s a black box over my chest and the cardigan on the side is like moved over and it looks really awkward and I was very confused,” O’Keefe said.
Her photo was altered by the school’s yearbook committee and hers wasn’t the only obvious edit.
“I didn’t think I would’ve been censored. I thought it was only one or two girls,” sophomore Elizabeth McCurdy said. “So, I went to go look at my picture and I was appalled to see that I was censored.”
“I went through the whole day wearing that shirt and nobody had said anything to me,” said freshman Zoey Iannone.
In a statement to News4Jax on Thursday, the district said the school’s previous procedure was to exclude student pictures in the yearbook that they deemed in violation of the student code of conduct “so the digital alterations were a solution to make sure all students were included in the yearbook.”
Several photos showing what the yearbook portraits looked like before and after the digital alterations were shared with News4Jax. The photos were altered to cover parts of the students’ chest and shoulders.
The yearbooks, which cost $100 each, were released to students on Wednesday.
After the release, dozens of female students learned their photos were altered, some more subtle than others.
On Bartram Trail’s website, a disclaimer warns students their photos could be altered.
“All images in ads and all individual student pictures must be consistent with the St. Johns County School District Student Code of Conduct or may be digitally adjusted,” it reads.
O’Keefe said she honestly thought her outfit was not in violation of the policy as she was never approached about it and even had the outfit cleared by the office.
“It made me feel a little uncomfortable that that’s what they noticed when they looked at our pictures,” she said.
The school also came under fire in March after teen girls said they were taken out of class and sent to the dean’s office to change clothes or face suspension. The incidents sparked an online petition created by students calling for change, which had more than 4,000 signatures.
News4Jax found the number of recorded violations of the St. Johns County School District’s student dress code has skyrocketed during the 2020-21 school year, according to data provided by the district.
Across the district, 78% of dress code violations go to female students.
I think the school went too far in editing the photos...
District realized that it made a mistake...
Yearbook company offers free reprints after Bartram Trail High female photo editing fiasco
Bartram Trail High School reprints 25 yearbooks after photo-editing controversy
By the way, I looked at my old high school yearbook...In the senior section...There were several ladies who exposed their shoulders...
I wonder if their school nurse helps provide abortions or birth control.
Also, I wonder what their sex ed is like and what ages are exposed to it.
Just wondering...
Our arch rivals in high school had a two page spread ripped from their yearbook. Seniors spelled out FU with their bodies. That was back in 71 mind you.
LOL, did any of the male to female Tranny students get edited in their drag outfits?
Is it defamatory to make a woman's "shoulders" look dead flat when she has an actual female form?
Because telling girls to be modest is a horrible thing to do......
Just the white female’s photos were censored correct?
At my school, the nuns would make girls stand, to judge if dress hem went below their knees. If boys' shirts weren't tucked in or looked slovenly, the gym teacher made us do push-ups. This was in the 1980s - not that long ago
Of course, the concept of "in loco parentis" died years ago, now every snowflake can claim "self expression"
Given what today’s kids are routinely seeing in today’s entertainment, those photos are remarkably tame. They’re even pretty tame by traditional (post WWII) standards.
what the hell does this have to do with abortions or birth control??
Our yearbook photos did not show below the neck.
Maybe this school should’ve done the same.
Don’t want to offend the mussies?
The fact that they are helping children to have sex but have an issue with a bared shoulder.
And don’t every curse me again.
I don’t remember seeing cleavage in my high school yearbook.
The one girl complaining on film was a freshman. Wonder where she will be in 20 years?
The yearbook blotted out their faces?
I never understood the fascination with covering shoulders? Who gets worked up over a shoulder?
What I remember from 70s yearbooks is counting how many students slipped giving the finger into group (clubs, sports teams) photos. A few always made it through. 😄
Who gets worked up over a shoulder?
***********
The same Muslims that get worked up over seeing female hair, and sometimes faces.
I think the TV station did that...To protect privacy of minors...
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