Posted on 04/30/2002 4:30:34 AM PDT by KneelBeforeZod
Thong-Wearing Teens Kicked Out Of Dance
A group of parents are calling for the resignation of Rancho Bernardo High School's vice principal, claiming she enforced underwear checks at a school dance, 10News reported.
The dance occurred Friday and vice principal Rita Wilson turned away girls who were wearing thongs, the parent said.
Kim Teal is among the several parents angry with Wilson (pictured, right).
"First thing (my daughter) said when she got into the car was, 'Mom, it was horrible last night. You have to fight this,'" Teal told 10News.
According to parent Alane Garvik, girls who arrived at the dance wearing short skirts were immediately asked: "What kind of underwear do you have on?"
When Garvik's daughter red-facedly announced that she was wearing thong underwear she was told to "go home and put on appropriate underwear," according to Garvik.
Teal's daughter made it in and claims to have witnessed faculty lifting the skirts of girls to assure that the offending underwear was going nowhere near the dance floor.
"Well, I just saw ... a line of people and the vice principal, Mrs. Wilson, she was checking to see what the girls were wearing under their dresses. And she was literally lifting up their skirts and embarrassing them in front of everyone else," one student told 10News.
Parents and students have placed the blame on Wilson, for spearheading the thong underwear checks, even though there is nothing in the school dress code against them.
"It's not their right to know what kind of underwear these kids have," Garvik told 10News.
10News contacted school officials, who all declined to go on camera. But Principal Paul Gentle did say that he is "looking into the situation."
Parents are now asking for Wilson to resign.
Gentle said that even while enforcing the school dress code, it is not proper procedure to ask students what they are wearing underneath their clothes.
He told 10News that he plans to meet with parents sometime this week.
Parents demanded the resignation of an official at a suburban San Diego high school on Tuesday after reports that she lifted girls' skirts in front of male students and faculty members, checking for inappropriate underwear before a dance on Friday.
Students at Rancho Bernardo High School said the vice principal, Rita Wilson, was screening girls to assure they were not wearing thong underwear. There were also reports that girls were made to undress partly if Wilson or other faculty suspected that they were not wearing bras.
"Some of these girls are just devastated," said Kim Teal, the parent of a 15-year-old sophomore at the school.
Teal said one parent called her to report that a teacher had pulled a girl's top to see if she was wearing a bra.
Wilson and the principal, Paul Gentle, did not return phone calls.
Teal said that when she confronted Wilson about the incident, she played down the situation, saying she had wanted to ensure that bottoms were adequately covered at the dance, attended by nearly 700 students.
The theme for the party was "Blast from the Past," and boys wearing toga outfits were also asked about their underwear or checked for it. Tube tops and halter tops are banned at the school.
Teal said her daughter told her of the screening, which she said occurred in front of boys, teachers and police officers at the door. Her daughter was allowed to enter the dance after declaring that she was not wearing a thong, her mother said. "After awhile the girls finally got the idea that they shouldn't say thong when they were asked, even though that's all they wear now," Teal said. "They won't be caught dead in regular underwear."
Parents met with the principal on Tuesday, but no action was taken, they said. The parents have given the principal until Friday to take action on their request for Wilson's resignation and said they intended to file a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union.
"She was at school today and that infuriated us all," Teal said. "We just believe she has very much over-stepped her boundaries and violated too many of the students' civil rights."
Her favorite tune is "Thong of Theptember"
You have got to be f-n kidding me? Girls should be forced to wear bras?
C'mon in - the water's fine... ;)
fofl
Is there a "potential nudity" statute on the books? If not (and the article does not state that the search was due to potential violation of any dress code) then it was unreasonable. You can't siomply add "facts" to the stury to suit your purpose.
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