Kudos to these kids for going about this the right way.
Appleton West High School sophomores Cailey Lambrecht and Maria Chavez have nearly 300 signatures on a petition to change the dress code. They plan to take their case to the school board on June 8.
The students argue they should be allowed to wear shorts and tank tops with spaghetti straps when the weather gets warm, especially since there are only a few rooms at West with air conditioning.
“At our school it gets really hot, and we can’t really wear tank tops because (administrators) are really picky on it,” Lambrecht said. “Guys can wear whatever they want, and we have so many dress code rules. It’s kind of ridiculous.”
Her characterization is incorrect. The same rules apply for the boys who have to wear longer shorts and such. Here’s the relevant language from the dress code:
•Students may not wear scanty and/or revealing clothing. Examples include but are not limited to: short skirts (need to be mid-thigh) or revealing shorts, tube tops, halters, backless tops, spaghetti straps less than one inch, exposed midriffs or undergarments.
It seems like a reasonable standard to me. Mid-thigh is not exactly a burka.
On a side note… tube tops?
I hope that the school board and the administration does not cave. They’re still kids and kids will try anything. Young girls often fail to realize how vulnerable they are, and how dangerous they can be to themselves.
“…when the weather gets warm, especially since there are only a few rooms at West with air conditioning.”
With all the tax money thrown around by school boards I find it hard to believe Appleton West doesn’t have central A/C. Perhaps rather than having high school girls strip down to “stay cool” (multiple meanings there) we should just repeal Prevailing Wage so the school system could afford to install air conditioning.
Cailey and Maria should revamp their petitions and submit them to Robin Vos.
The school was built during the Great Depression; that’s why there’s no central A/C. It sucks, but it’s not so unbearable you have to strip down to “short shorts and a tube top.”
The dress code is totally fine. They’ve probably just seen the various “prom” outfit scandals out there and figured they’d get on board.