A New Jersey principal's ban on strapless dresses at a junior high school dance because they would be "distracting" to boys has enraged parents, who called on Tuesday for its reversal on the grounds it violates their daughters' constitutional rights.
The dress code shreds the 14th Amendment right to equal protection since girls for the past six years have been wearing sleeveless fashions to the dance at Readington Middle School in Readington Township, New Jersey, said parent Charlotte Nijenhuis.
Parents petitioned the school board on Tuesday to overturn the policy before the June 12th dance.
The school's principal, Sharon Moffat, said in a letter last month that a "dress with straps" was the only style that would be allowed.
Nijenhuis said she called Moffat to ask why strapless dresses had been forbidden. "She told me, 'It is because it's distracting to boys and inappropriate','" Nijenhuis said.
Moffat did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Another parent, Michelle D'Amico, said she was "livid" that her 14-year-old daughter was being prevented from wearing the same strapless dress that her older daughter had worn six years ago. "It's completely unjust," D'Amico said.
The Readington Township School District said in a statement on Tuesday that it "has a policy regarding dress code which is being universally applied to the school day and school events. We regret that a small number of families are upset by this and we welcome their input and communication."
At least one student, Claudine Nijenhuis, 14, said she planned to defy the ban and press her right to bare arms.
"Basically by saying 'it distracts the boys' you're also saying that it is our fault on how they control their own behaviour," the teenager wrote in a letter to the principal. "I will still be attending the dinner dance function, but I will also be wearing a dress with no straps."
The dress code shreds the 14th Amendment right to equal protection since girls for the past six years have been wearing sleeveless fashions to the dance at Readington Middle School in Readington Township, New Jersey, said parent Charlotte Nijenhuis.
Parents petitioned the school board on Tuesday to overturn the policy before the June 12th dance.
Nijenhuis said she called Moffat to ask why strapless dresses had been forbidden. "She told me, 'It is because it's distracting to boys and inappropriate','" Nijenhuis said.
Advertisement
Another parent, Michelle D'Amico, said she was "livid" that her 14-year-old daughter was being prevented from wearing the same strapless dress that her older daughter had worn six years ago. "It's completely unjust," D'Amico said.
Advertisement
At least one student, Claudine Nijenhuis, 14, said she planned to defy the ban and press her right to bare arms.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2013
COMMENTS
Advertisement
How Donald Trump Is Trying To Stop Kamala Harris As She Closes In "Treated Him Horribly": Trump Calls Biden's Poll Exit A "Coup By Democrats" Trump Vows To Make US "Crypto Capital Of Planet", Bitcoin "Superpower Of World" How Rajinder Nagar Coaching Centre Flouted Key Norms, Put Lives In Danger Astrologer Who Correctly Predicted Biden Exit, Now 'Names' Next US President Students Killed In Flooding At Delhi Coaching Centre Were UPSC Aspirants Esha Gupta Is Back To Red Carpet Slayage In A Backless Black Cutout Gown Who Is Gulab Chand Kataria, New Governor Of Punjab UPSC Tutor Slammed For Comparing Lord Ram With Akbar, Apologises Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.