Notices for a dress code policy at Hazelton Secondary School (HSS) are no more.
According to CBC News, HSS withdrew the notices the school issued in May regarding guidelines around dressing at school.
The notices, printed on yellow paper, contained images of men and women with arrows pointing to various parts of their bodies and accompanying text explaining what clothes students are not allowed to wear.
READ NOW: https://www.interior-news.com/news/new-hazelton-secondary-school-dress-code-sparks-controversy/
In a May 30 interview with the Interior News, Anissa Watson, the mother of a female HSS student, said she had some problems with the way the new code was implemented.
“There was no preamble from the school, no consultation with parents, no consultations with students.
My first thought was, ‘Oh, I was at the school yesterday helping out as a volunteer [and] I broke dress code — I wore a tank top.’ It was 27 degrees, you know?”
READ NOW: https://www.interior-news.com/web-poll/school-dress-code-poll/
She added that, beyond the physical limitations of the code, she was bothered by the emphasis it placed on girls ostensibly distracting boys by what they are wearing.
“My daughter was told that she shouldn’t wear something that [will] cause a boy to have to cover his eyes to walk down the hallway, that’s my concern, the dress code isn’t there to teach the students about respect and professionalism,” she said, adding that when her daughter expressed concerns to a male teacher she was told she was being immature.
Superintendent of Schools for SD82 Katherine McIntosh previously told the Interior News that the dress code was an interim measure and that the school looks forward to developing a code with input from students and parents alike.
“Input from all stakeholders is key to any successful policy,” said McIntosh. “Together, the HSS community will design a dress code that has received input and review from all involved.”
The issue itself seems to be divisive.
A web poll by the Interior News found that, of 159 responses, 39 per cent thought a lenient dress code was appropriate. Almost 23 per cent thought a strict dress code should be implemented. Conversely, about one in five voters thought mandatory uniforms were the way to go, with approximately 10 per cent believing in a laissez-faire, “anything goes” policy.