The first part (obviously the only part in question re the two pictured dresses) is mighty vague, and if a picture of this dress looked okay to the same official who turned her away, then there's no question that the rule is too vague for anyone to make a call based on the wording. The girl made the call (clearly with her parents' backing) based on the official's prior approval of a picture of the dress. How could the official approve a picture of a halter style dress -- whether on a hanger or a skinny flat-chested model -- and then turn the girl away for wearing the same dress, based on a rule that prohibits clothing "that exposes the student's back"?
When 1/5th of the girls going to the prom are turned away, and it includes girls dressed like the two in this picture, something's wrong. This is a PUBLIC school and it is clearly attempting to enforce standards of dress that aren't consistent with the community's standards. It's one thing to have a fairly strict dress code for regular school days to maintain concentration and give kids a clue about what's acceptable in a workplace, but what's appropriate for an evening party isn't the same as what's appropriate for the office or for school.
These kids and their families have been through an awful lot the past couple of years, and certainly don't deserve to be jerked around like this. I predict the school officials who participated in this will get sued and lose.
A PICTURE of a dress means NOTHING. That alone should be clear. When your wife looks at a catalog etc. at PICTURES of bathing suits or dresses etc. - when she tries them ON she may not like it. The critical test is PUTTING THE DRESS ON and SEEING how it looks on the girl.
Apparently the rules aren’t vague. OTHERS were NOT turned away. OBVIOUSLY they UNDERSTOOD the rules.
“The girl made the call (clearly with her parents’ backing) based on the official’s prior approval of a picture of the dress.”
Parental approval does NOT matter. It is SCHOOL approval that matters. A PICTURE doesn’t matter. It’s HOW the dress looks on the girl and apparently they saw it as too revealing.
“How could the official approve a picture of a halter style dress — whether on a hanger or a skinny flat-chested model — and then turn the girl away for wearing the same dress, based on a rule that prohibits clothing “that exposes the student’s back”?”
A PICTURE doesn’t SHOW how it will look on the girl. A “skimpy flat chested girl as you put it - the SAME dress will LOOK differently on a more endowed girl as this girl is.
“When 1/5th of the girls going to the prom are turned away, and it includes girls dressed like the two in this picture, something’s wrong.”
I might have to read further in the article. I don’t remember seeing anything about 1/5 turned away.
“This is a PUBLIC school and it is clearly attempting to enforce standards of dress that aren’t consistent with the community’s standards.”
Perhaps they don’t want LOW standards and problems. You can’t define what a “Community standard” is either.
“It’s one thing to have a fairly strict dress code for regular school days to maintain concentration and give kids a clue about what’s acceptable in a workplace, but what’s appropriate for an evening party isn’t the same as what’s appropriate for the office or for school.”
Most PUBLIC schools really don’t want problems. Maintaining less revealing attire will lead to less problems.. Males are VISUAL and they’d like to minimize those kinds of issues. You don’t have to be a mental giant to figure that one out. These are JUST KIDS. They aren’t going to the “office” or the “workplace”. They are KIDS going to a dress up affair.
“These kids and their families have been through an awful lot the past couple of years, and certainly don’t deserve to be jerked around like this. I predict the school officials who participated in this will get sued and lose.”
It’s NOT about the “parents”. I don’t know what you mean by being “jerked around”. I also don’t know what you mean by these parents going through allot thees “past couple of years”. ALL this school is doing is trying to have some standards that don’t show cleavage as would NOT be allowed in school.
GEESH!
I just read through the whole thing, as YOU SHOULD TOO:
“But Jefferson Parish schools spokesman Jeff Nowakowski said Gardner did nothing wrong and that the ones in error were girls who showed up with dresses that didn’t comply with a district code that says: “A student will not wear clothing that exposes the student’s back, chest or midriff.”
“The policy, which also strictly restricts any use of fishnet or see-through clothing, has been in effect for years and is included in a handbook that parents sign, Nowakowski said. He added that students who didn’t gain admittance Friday night were given a chance to leave and alter their dresses to bring them into compliance, and that some did just that.”
“Twenty to 25 girls “didn’t meet the code and so they were turned away because they didn’t want to fix the dress in order to come inside,” Nowakowski said.”It (the dress) should have covered the breast, and that’s not what happened last night.”
Good grief!
These girls could have gone home and changed.
The rules are CLEAR:
“A student will not wear clothing that exposes the student’s back, chest or midriff.”
It’s been in effect for YEARS and PARENTS SIGN the handbook stating such!
These girls gambled and LOST. TOo bad.
Follow the rules like everyone else.