Wilmington School Committee Wants To Revise Sexist Dress Code

WILMINGTON, MA -- The Wilmington School Committee has requested revisions to the middle and high school handbooks for parents and students to remove language that some members said was targeting girls. Both handbooks have provisions that prohibited excessively short clothing, backless clothing, see-through clothing and strapless tops. The high school handbook also banned "other garments that reveal shoulders, midriff, cleavage, or undergarments," while the middle school handbook banned "other garments that reveal undergarments."

"This is something that really just applies to girls, and not to the boys," School Committee member David Ragsdale said. His concerns were echoed by member Jennifer Bryson.

Wilmington Middle School Assistant Principals Daniel Faircloth and Jeanette Quirk said the wording of the policy was supposed to have been removed. "That was not supposed to be in there," Faircloth said.

"I think we really need to be careful there with this idea of shaming and all that," Bryson said in asking for the administrators to come back with a revised policy that is more like district-wide dress code, which is gender neutral.

The district dress code say clothing decisions rest with students and parents "providing that attire is not destructive to school property, complies with requirements for health and safety, and does not cause disorder or disruption."

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File photo by Dave Copeland/Patch.

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