Controversial issue stirred up yet again
By David Manky, Columnist
Britney Rogers, 16, was sent home from Terry Fox Secondary Friday morning because her outfit was “too fashionable,” and was “distracting the other girls,” said Principal Patty Helm.
“She’s been warned before,” Helm stated in an interview Monday. “Her outfits have just been getting nicer and nicer. I’m not saying she has to show up in rags, but the other girls are having trouble concentrating on their work. Their eyes are glued to Britney!”
With equality issues a growing concern in today’s culture, this recent occurrence has surely sparked more controversy than has been seen in years past. Acceptance, self-love, and freedom of expression are pivotal topics in our society, and in the eyes of some, this school has crossed the line.
It seems everyone has an opinion on the subject, including Britney’s mother, Becky Rogers, who released this strongly worded statement:
“Frankly, it’s an outrage. Britney is old enough to dress herself and if the other girls can’t help from ogling her, I hardly see how she is to blame.”
Dress codes in public schools have been around as long as public schooling itself, and dealing with this issue has always been difficult.
With students often claiming dress codes to be a blatant infringement on their freedom of expression, and with teachers asking only for a distraction-free learning environment, the quarrels surely are not soon to be resolved.
We spoke to Britney about the issue and the idea of Terry Fox adopting a dress code.
“This is ridiculous! I express my feelings and emotions through clothing; to tell me I have to change is, like, against my human rights or whatever! I’m not going to let this social injustice slide without putting up a fight!” Britney said.
The idea of school uniforms has been tossed around, and if no better options surface, that just may be the way the school system is moving. Although it may not be the first choice for many students in the system, dress codes may be, as Helms puts it, “the only way to keep students from constantly one-upping each other and breeding such distraction and envy within the delicate learning environment.”
Superintendent of the district John McKinley stated Monday that he is in favour of school uniforms, and was quoted as saying:
“We have a little saying in the public education system: ‘if you can’t please everyone, don’t please anyone.’ Hell, I wear the same outfit every day anyways, shirts, socks, underwear, I don’t see what the big deal is.”
McKinley’s statement has received mixed reactions.
