Girls attending Breton High School in Alberta, Canada decided that they had some things to say about their school’s dress code—and they decided to make their voices heard though a sign in the girls’ bathroom, CNN reports.
The note, which was photographed by students and posted online by Global News Canada, says, “When you interrupt a girl’s school day to force her to change clothes, or send her home because her shorts are too short or her bra straps are visible, you are telling her that making sure boys have a ‘distraction free’ learning environment is more important than her education. Instead of shaming girls for their bodies teach boys that girls are not sexual objects!!!“
The argument the girls make is a fair point—should we really be telling 15-18-year-old girls that they’re responsible for covering up their bodies, just because men see them as sexualized from a young age? Many girls have asked these questions over the years, but administrators in many high schools still seem hesitant to make any changes.
In response, some male students at the school posted a note telling the girls that the dress code was just fine with them. It read: “When you wear little to no clothing and dress provocatively because it’s ‘too hot out’ or because you think it’s ‘attractive’, you are putting boys at a risk of having a distracting working environment and saying ‘your clothing is more important than their education.’ Instead of dressing like a THOT, value the male education and dress conservatively.“
School administrators quickly removed the signs when they found out about the situation, and followed up by sending a letter home to parents as well as speaking to the students the next day about “respectful discourse.” Wild Rose School Division Superintendent Brad Volkman told CNN that the boys’ use of THOT, which stands for “that ho over there” was “clearly out of order.”
The school is using this incident as an opportunity to teach students how to have a conversation about something they disagree on, and to discuss the dress code, which bans short skirts, short shorts and visible bra straps. Volkman also told CNN that many of his district’s schools aren’t air conditioned—which, like, if you’re going to make kids cover up, at least get some air conditioning!
With the temperatures rising, we’ll be sure to hear more about dress code policies in the coming weeks before schools get out.