Montclair Students Protest 'Grossly Sexualized' Dress Code for High School Girls

Charging that female students at Montclair High School are unfairly impacted by the school’s dress code, almost a hundred students from both genders at Montclair High School staged a peaceful protest on Thursday morning at the corner of Chestnut and Park streets.

The students walked in an orderly line on the sidewalk outside the school, carrying signs that read “Fight the Sexist Dress Code” and chanting “When Montclair girls are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Several parents and adult supporters were also on the scene in support of the students.

The protest ended when the bell rang, and no classes were disrupted, according to a school official.

WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?

The spirit of the protest was captured in a recent Change.org petition started by Emma Wescott, a MHS student, which claims that females at the school are being “grossly sexualized.”

“The newly reinforced dress code disproportionately targets female students for wearing summer clothing, sending them home to put on more modest attire, despite the high temperatures inside of the classrooms,” the petition states.

“This strict dress code perpetuates rape culture by suggesting to girls that their way of dress is punishable and justifies their sexualization. It suggests that it is their responsibility to dress modestly as to keep from “distracting” their male counterparts. This is a ridiculous sentiment and is offensive to both males and females. The true issue lies in a culture that sexualizes girls, not in the supposed tantalizing nature of spaghetti-straps.”

WHO CAN CHANGE THE DRESS CODE?

“The establishment of the specifics regarding the dress code is an administrative responsibility, and is the responsibility of the high school principal, who would make a recommendation to the superintendent,” Montclair Board of Education President David Deutsch explained.

When asked if school officials have a right to establish a dress code, Deutsch cited state law, specifically N.J.S.A. 18A:11-7, which states that the Legislature finds that “school dress can significantly influence pupil behavior and that schools that have adopted dress codes...experience greater school pride and improved behavior in and out of the classroom.”

And does the board have an official stance on the protest and the dress code issue?

“Because questions regarding the dress code have only arisen in the last day - as least as far as I am aware - there has been neither sufficient time for the administration to brief the board, nor an opportunity for the board to discuss the issue,” Deutsch told Patch.

Patch reached out to Interim Superintendent Ronald E. Bolandi and High School Principal James Earle seeking comment about the protest and dress code, but didn’t receive a reply as of Thursday evening.

THE CODE

“Because no dress code can be all-inclusive, the administration reserves the right to make the final decision on all attire,” the school states on its website.

But the code also adds that students have a responsibility to “attire themselves in a manner that is conducive to an instructional and professional environment.”

“Clothing must not be unduly revealing or distracting,” the code states. “Attire shall be sufficient to conceal undergarments. Short shorts, half-shirts or tops, strapless tops, spaghetti strap tops, bare midriffs, low-cut or revealing tops, off-the-shoulder tops, and fish-net type tops or shirts, tube tops, tank tops or see-through tops are examples of prohibited clothing.”

In addition, the code states that skirts must be worn at finger-tip length with no slits, and prohibits “plunging” neck and backlines.

See the complete Montclair High School dress code online here.

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