About 30 students were sent home from school in Labrador City in eastern Canada for wearing clothing that violated the school’s dress code.
It has become the habit among young girls in Canada to wear tank tops that reveal bra straps when the weather is warm. Less common are boys wearing sleeveless shirts. Both styles of dress were worn by the students who were sent home.
Among them was Emily Connors who said she was told girls were sent home “because of our bra straps, and that it was inappropriate because some of the male teachers, and male students found it distracting for them.”
Gary Connors, Emily’s father, found that reasoning outrageous. “I mean, as far as I’m concerned, what a woman wears doesn’t give a guy a right to do anything to them, [or] say anything to them. If they can’t control themselves, then there’s something wrong with them, you know? It’s just — it’s just pathetic,” he told the public broadcaster, CBC.
In a statement issued to CBC News, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District said it was not the school’s intent to infringe on the rights of students.
Schools in Canada used to require uniforms, but few do now. So, periodically there are controversies about what is appropriate attire and what is not.
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.