If there’s one thing in our education system that is often debated by both students and parents, it’s the dress code. In public, you’re free to wear whatever you’d like of course, but some schools don’t agree with that wholeheartedly.
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Source: Catherine Pearlman
Doctor Catherine Pearlman from Long Island, New York, has a 13-year-old daughter which has received multiple warnings about the way that she dresses. She didn’t wear anything disturbing, or hurtful – she just wore shorts that were a couple of inches too short according to the principal.
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Source: Catherine Pearlman
The school banned shorts that were shorter than the fingers when worn, but as you’d expect, this would cause issues for girls who are taller and doesn’t really make it fair for everyone based on their genetics.
When Catherine heard that her daughter was ‘dress coded’ two days in a row by the school administration, she finally had enough of it. Especially considering the school would put her in detention if she wore the shorts one more time and to make things even worse, the school policy didn’t even have information or a clause about a certain dress code.
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Source: Catherine Pearlman
Catherine’s daughter doesn’t like wearing pants, as she tends to get overheated in them and won’t wear any dresses either. Her rather large limbs make it difficult for them to find clothes that fit properly.
Immediately, Catherine wrote a striking letter to the school’s principal which quickly went viral. She wrote it with a cynical (and sometimes even downright funny) undertone, but the message behind the letter is certainly noticeable. You can read Catherine’s full message to the principal below.
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Source: Catherine Pearlman
Dear Middle School Principal:Thank you for sending a note home for the second day in a row to say my daughter was dressed inappropriately for school. I’d like to offer an additional thank you for forcing her to change into large mesh shorts that have been worn by only god knows who and potentially never washed.To reward you for treating my daughter with such concern, I am cordially inviting you to take my daughter shopping.Here are the specifications you have to work with. I wish you loads of luck.She is 5’7” and 13 years old. Built more like her father, she has exceptionally long legs and arms.She doesn’t like anything pink or purple or frilly.She won’t wear pants because she gets overheated easily. Trust me I’ve seen this. It will cause a scene in the school yard.She absolutely will not wear a dress either.
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Source: Catherine Pearlman
No item of clothing can have a logo visible because to her that’s not cool. She will however, wear any type of superhero, Green Day or USFL T-shirt if you can find them. You might be able to try for an occasional Beatles reference but that’s touch and go.Now, don’t forget that you will have to find something in the stores that also meets with yourdress code requirements. Here are the tricky areas that are most difficult to avoid. As per your policy she cannot wear tank tops. Shorts and skirts must not extend to the end of the fingertips (This is a toughie.)So, if I were you (and I’m glad I’m not) I’d focus on the shorts first. She has very long fingers which seems to make finding shorts that won’t get her sent to the principal’s office impossible (On the bright side the piano teacher says those fingers are an asset.). I’d schedule a few afternoons and weekends for this endeavor. I can tell you from experience that just heading to the mall, Target and the outlets won’t cut it. Not much for her there. I’ve already checked.One last point: please try to stay within a reasonable budget. We can’t spend a fortune on her wardrobe. She is still growing after all.I thank you endlessly for taking on this chore. What a relief for me.Sincerely,Sick Of The Dress Code Mom
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Source: Catherine Pearlman
P.S. I forgot to thank you for making it clear to my daughter that her body is somehow a distraction, either to herself or to the boys. I thought she might have missed the message earlier in the year when the gym teacher told her she couldn’t wear yoga pants because the boys aren’t able to control themselves. I appreciate how hard you are working to drive the point home.
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Source: Community Today
