Apparently, school administrators in Florida don't know the difference between discipline and outright humiliation. They think humiliating a student for an innocent error in wardrobe counts as discipline.
Take the case of Miranda Larkin, 15, a transfer student from Seattle, who experienced a bit of a culture shock, I'm sure, when she was told that her skirt was in violation of her school's dress code. Supposedly, she was given three options: 1) suspension, 2) calling home to have some fresh clothes brought over to change into, and 3) a "shame suit", which consists of a yellow shirt and a pair of red sweats, both of which read "dress code violation". However, as Miranda & her mother told ABC, she wasn't given a choice. Administrators at Oakleaf High in Orange Park forced her to wear the "shame suit". The Larkins claim Miranda was bullied. Oakleaf faculty have refused to comment. Gee, what a shock, eh?
I spent 2 years at a private academy, and the only error in appearance was pointed out to me by a teacher the first week. I was asked to trim my nails, so I did after school. If the shirt-tail wasn't tucked in, well, a quick stop to the men's room could fix that in a jiffy. Ah, but that was more than 35 years ago. Miranda said she broke out in hives, she was so upset. I get the feeling lawyers will soon get involved, and Oakleaf will end up the laughing stock of the district, trust me. Treating teenagers, especially transfers who've barely gotten settled into their new district, like babies is not the way to go. The Larkins had only arrived in Florida a scant more than a week before the start of the school year.
Here's an idea. Let the teacher who forced Miranda into a shame suit wear one, too. I hear clown shoes would look nice.
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