A decision regarding the removal of dress codes at schools across Greater Victoria will have to wait a little longer as School District 61 trustees voted to send a recommendation back for further consultation at a meeting Monday night.
B次元官网网址淚 think weB次元官网网址檙e moving forward on this issue, not backwards,B次元官网网址� said Trustee Jordan Watters, who has filed a motion to suspend the enforcement of school dress codes in the interim.
Of the 47 schools in SD61, only 22 have dress codes, and those are primarily middle schools, she said, adding itB次元官网网址檚 kids between the ages of 11 and 14 who are B次元官网网址渞eally getting the brunt of this.B次元官网网址�
She said she heard a teacher make reference to a female student who was B次元官网网址渙ver-developed,B次元官网网址� so itB次元官网网址檚 not just girls who are targeted by the current dress code, but certain girls.
The dress code debate has heard some decisive statements from board members, principals and teachers. But Watters thinks itB次元官网网址檚 just a lot of wasted time and energy that could be spent on learning, and supporting a more diverse idea about what is appropriate to wear to school.
B次元官网网址淲e need to stop policing bodies,B次元官网网址� Watters said, recognizing the culture is deep seeded. She worries the broader message being sent is that boys are not responsible for their own feelings. As a mother of boys, she said, itB次元官网网址檚 demeaning to think they canB次元官网网址檛 control themselves or focus.
Watters is also concerned with the varied methods of enforcement of the current dress code, something she calls a real subjective decision. One parent contacted her to say the principal of her 11-year-oldB次元官网网址檚 school called to say her daughter needed to wear a bra.
However, the success of a recently implemented gender expression and identity policy gives Watters hope.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 certainly disappointed,B次元官网网址� she said of last nightB次元官网网址檚 decision. B次元官网网址淏ut IB次元官网网址檓 supportive of ongoing consultations.B次元官网网址�
Trustees will revisit the recommendation at a school board meeting Oct. 23.
