6th Grader Breaks Sexist Middle School Dress Code
Sixth grader Molly Neuner purposely broke her Portland, Maine, middle school’s dress code Wednesday, the Portland Press Herald reports. She decided to do so after being publicly reprimanded earlier this week for wearing a racerback tank top to class.
Molly broke the dress code by wearing another, different tank top. She accessorized this time by writing “#IAmNotADistraction” down her arm in marker. She told the Press Herald that not only did being yelled at in front of other people for wearing such a harmless thing propel her to do this but she also decided to act because she thinks the dress code is sexist.
The Portland Public Schools dress code doesn’t specify tank tops are prohibited, only that “schools may prohibit dress which causes a material and substantial disruption of the school and/or is so distractive as to interfere with the learning process but may not impose limitations on dress in which fashion or taste is the sole criterion.” Superintendent Xavier Botana told the paper he believes that rule needs to be further defined: “I would be hard-pressed to understand how the size of a strap makes a substantial and material disruption.”
By the end of the day on Wednesday, King Middle School Principal Caitlin LeClair had met with Molly and her parents, and announced the school would be reevaluating their dress code at the end of the year, but that the current dress code would remain in place until then. Molly was cautiously optimistic: “I’m happy they’re going to look at it, but I want to make sure they really do it.”
Still, at least 20 girls decided to break the dress code Wednesday and Thursday in solidarity and that made her happy. “It was so cool to see everyone doing it,” she said.
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