Remember the Florida high school that doctored girls’ yearbook photos by covering their chests without their consent? Here’s an update.
Remember the Florida high school that doctored girls’ yearbook photos by covering their chests without their consent? Here’s an update.
Student Riley O’Keefe has been a brave, vocal opponent of her school’s dress code and yearbook fiasco.
Ms., August 11, 2021
The Florida school district that doctored yearbook photos of girls without consent last spring by covering their cleavage has pledged to do better. The St. Johns County School Board announced last week that they have revised their dress code. Now, students of any gender are permitted to bare their shoulders, and their shorts, skirts and dresses can hit mid-thigh.
While Bartram Trail High School was widely ridiculed for altering the yearbook photos of girls but not boys, controversy had been brewing for some time because of the district’s gendered dress code. At the mandatory monthly Dress for Success Day, in which students are graded, girls have to follow far more guidelines than boys. The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into a complaint that the code and its enforcement discriminate against girls.
Other school districts should pay attention to the process underway at the St. Johns County School Board and learn from their successes and failures. In particular, districts should keep in mind these five suggestions.