Mom: Teacher Apologized To My Daughter

On Tuesday in 90 degree heat, a Fuller Middle School seventh grade girl was singled out, by a male physical education teacher, for what he said was an “inappropriate” top to wear to gym class.

The parent of the middle school student contacted the teacher and the school’s principal when the girl came home from school upset. The mother and the principal had several correspondences on Tuesday afternoon and spoke by phone on Wednesday. A formal meeting with all parties involved took place Thursday morning.

On Thursday, the teacher, the principal, the school district’s 6-12 physical education coordinator, as well as the mother and daughter met at the school.

The mother told Framingham Patch her daughter was issued an apology by the physical education teacher.

“There was an apology and I can hope that the teacher realized his poor judgement and going forward reevaluate how he addresses students,“ said the Framingham mother.

Editor’s Note: Patch has chosen not to identify the mother to protect the identity of the seventh grade girl.

According to the mother, the gym teacher told the girl her top was “inappropriate.” He then asked her to stand in front of the co-ed gym class and asked students to identify what was wrong with the top.

“Can you please tell me how this t-shirt is inappropriate? It covers her skin and is not revealing anything to the male population that could offend them. Should she be wearing a turtle neck in 90 degree weather?,” wrote the mother to the teacher on Tuesday. She copied the email to school principal Sharon Seyller and forwarded the email to Framingham Patch.

Editor’s Note: A photo of that top is attached to this report.

While the shirt would fit the middle school’s published dress code, the gym teacher felt the shirt did not fit the dress code of gym class, he had spelled out in a memo in August to parents and the students.

The teacher prohibited “v-neck shirts” and ”low cut collars” in gym class. The teacher also banned sleeveless t-shirts.

“Students should be dressed so that their clothing does not hinder their performance,” wrote the physical education teacher. Patch has chosen not to name the teacher.

“Given the nature of physical education class, there are separate clothing and foot wear requirements. These are outlined in the grading rubric given to all students in grades 6-8 which parents are asked to review and sign,” said Fuller’s principal Sharon Seyller.

“We are reviewing the grading rubric and other practices that are implemented in the classroom related to student dress,” Seyller told Patch on Wednesday.

The mother echoed that statement on Thursday.

“They are going to working on an appropriate “dress code” for all middle schools, so it is a standard from my understanding,” she said.

Since Framingham Patch first published the report, the mother has been contacted by a couple of Boston television stations and seventeen.com for interviews.

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What do you think middle school students should wear to gym class? Should Framingham establish a dress code specifically for gym class? Post your comments below.