EL PASO, Texas ( KFOX14/CBS4 ) — Wiggs Middle School pauses new school dress code banning students from wearing skirts, dresses, and skorts after parent backlash.
After the Wiggs Middle School posted the new dress code plan for the school year on their Instagram page, Wiggs Middle School families became aware of any new plan changes.
Parents were upset and unsure about why the changes completely outlaw skirts, dresses, and skorts in comments on the article and in other Twitter groups.
The article was posted about two days before the 2024-2019 institution year’s opening.
The updated legislation is available below.
According to a parent KFOX14 spoke with, this policy unfairly affects her daughter and allows her to use it easily.
” All we’re telling our sons is that their systems are incorrect, and they should be afraid, and they should be punished. And I think it’s wrong”, said Rebecca Savage, a Wiggs mid class family.
The new plan says:
Clothes are prohibited for health reasons.
The new policy furthermore bans one-piece polo/skirt configurations.
But, Savage believes this plan is n’t translucent or clear in its logic.
” I do n’t think it’s for safety reasons. Overwhelmingly, women get the harsh end of the stick”, said Savage.
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Savage said there was a survey conducted by parents at the end of last year’s school year about the issue of students wearing skirts and dresses on campus, but she still does n’t think there was enough effective communication.
” I really do n’t understand where they came up with this, who came up with it, quite frankly, because I was n’t included in that opinion, other than the survey response that I gave, which was obviously an opposition to it. But other than that, I have no idea”, said Savage.
She also believes that the new legislation is also bad for the people of the students.
” It only makes it difficult even because there are a lot of lower-income individuals in this area, in the college, in El Paso in public. And you’re discriminating against them, not only in the fact that it’s, again, a policy again against females, it’s also the parents that maybe ca n’t afford to buy brand new clothes. I had skorts that my child was gonna use, and we were planning on reusing those this time, and now we have to purchase clothes, so she can be comfortable”, said Savage.
El Paso Teacher Association, which endorsed this new plan change, KFOX14 also spoke with them.
” Boys will be boys. You know the girls may get women… I’ve seen women wearing, you know little shirts that are you know very small, you know to use, you know parts of their brain is showing that should not be showing, especially in a class setting”, said EPTA President, Norma De La Rosa.
De La Rosa also pointed out that Wiggs Middle School handled too many instances of improper dress code violations toward the end of the previous academic year, putting faculty and administration in a difficult position to hold their students and parents guilty.
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But, Dr. Hilda Ontiveros, a professor and chair of ladies and gender studies at the University of Texas at El Paso, claimed that phrases and policies like these are harmful to a female’s training in response to this new plan and to discuss the harm it causes to female students.
We’re shifting the blame to women because we need to destroy the myth that boys will be boys because it’s an emphasized double common, and that’s why we’re teaching kids that they need to be polite and focused in college. It’s linked to eating disorders, panic involved, being singled out and they feel stereotyped”, said Ontiveros.
After KFOX14 inquired about the fresh policy and whether other policies had been successful, they issued a statement asking:” El Paso Independent School District.
After careful thought, Wiggs Middle School’s leadership has decided to put a delay on any adjustments to the standard policy. Students may follow the 2023-24 clothing code plan.
The District acknowledges the importance of getting more parents involved in this decision in order to increase community role in shaping the standard policy, and express gratitude for their leadership.
Officials will work with the Campus Improvement Team and other group members to determine the possible changes to the dress code plan over the course of the 2024-25 educational time. Our goal is to keep a close eye on value and appropriateness in student clothing while ensuring that our policies reflect the values and needs of our class society.
We appreciate the patience and understanding of our students, families, and staff as we navigate this method. We make it our goal to offer all students a positive and stimulating understanding setting.
Now that the plan has been changed back to its original standard, allowing dresses, gowns, and skorts once again, Savage believes the class still should have been visible in the first place.
” I think they jumped the gun on something… I really wish that they would change the way that they do things, have better communication, get some more input”, said Savage.
EPISD begins their school year, Monday, August 5.
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