Young girls and women around the world are still being denied their education because of what they're wearing, and the latest batch of students were actually left out in the cold as a result. A number of students at Ebbsfleet Academy in Kent, England were refused entry to their first day of the new term because their skirts were deemed too short for the school's headteacher, Alison Colwell. And we can't believe schools are still making these kinds of sexist calls about dress code matters.
The exact number of students affected by the dress code, which bans skirts more than five inches above the knees, is unclear. Reports range from 20 girls, per The Independent, while The Daily Mail estimated closer to two hundred students were impacted. According to Colwell, the school's dress code policies aren't too strict; they're just enforcing them properly compared to other schools in the area.
"We have a clear uniform policy that we enforce. Our rules are no stricter than most schools, it’s just that we are consistent in enforcing them," Colwell told The Daily Mail. "The tiny minority of parents who choose to defy us, and our rules, are a minority – it’s a curious parent who thinks it is acceptable for teenage girls to flash large amounts of thigh, or worse.” What 'curious' parent she might be referring to is unbeknownst to us, but the parents of the punished students did indeed had a few things to say.
The students were literally shut out, meaning they were essentially left out in the cold with nowhere to go, as opposed to the school holding the girls, calling their parents, and requesting a set of longer skirts. Several parents expressed surprise — and rejection — about the school's stance on uniforms. One parent complained about being unaware of the skirt length policy altogether. Another said she sent her daughter to school that day in a skirt from last semester, and was, quite understandably, confused about why the same skirt could now be deemed "too short." Others cited the obvious dangers of young female students roaming around the city alone, and another parent said she wouldn't be able to make it to the uniform store for a week, meaning her daughter would have to miss her entire first week of school.
Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a number of often-puzzling dress code violations that have gone down in recent years. No matter what, no one deserves to be left out in the cold because of what they're wearing. That's not only unprofessional on several counts, but it's just not okay. When it comes to education, it's puzzling why we continue to police students' dress codes.
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