Dress code unfairly targets some female students because of body shape, say Whitehorse students

Students and parents at the Wood Street Centre school in Whitehorse say the way the school's dress code is being applied is unfairly targeting some female students because of their body shape.

And they want it to stop.

A group of students and parents who called the school's dress code "oppressive and sexist" sent a letter to the minister of education late last week and was told Monday the government agrees the dress code should "be collaborative and respectful."

"We intend to work alongside students, staff and parents to address these concerns," said Erin Scott, a spokesperson with the Yukon Department of Education, in an email to CBC News.

"The superintendent and principal of Wood Street plan to work collaboratively with both the students and staff to update the current rules to ensure it reflects the shared perspectives of both parties."

The school's dress code, included in the Student Conduct Policy booklet, states in part, "If school administration finds clothes too revealing or inappropriate they will ask students to change into appropriate clothing if available or will send students home to change. Students unable to meet the dress code will have their parents/guardians contacted to address the situation."

On Monday afternoon, about a dozen people gathered in front of the Yukon Legislative Assembly to protest against dress codes at Yukon schools. They want all dress codes in Yukon schools to be revoked.

Lehala Reid, a student at Wood Street Centre, was one of the organizers of the protest. 

She said she has been "dress-coded" — told by teachers that her clothes were too revealing and that she had to change them — a few times.

Reid, who is enrolled in MAD, the school's Music-Art-Drama program, said some of those times were just before a show.

"I was upset about it. It was hard to go on stage to perform well, while having a little meltdown," she said.

She posted her story on some of her social media accounts, asking if others had similar stories.

"A lot of people responded with lots of stories, and I felt that the dress code needed to stop because it was harming students' mental health and wellbeing," she said.

Feeling targeted

Her mother, Krista, who helped her daughter and others organize the protest, said some of the students who shared their stories said they felt targeted because of their body type.

She said they said other female students with different body types would wear the same shirt, mostly a crop top, and not be "dress-coded."

She said some students said they were yelled at, publicly.

"It is causing harmful relationships with not only students and their teachers, but the children are having unhealthy relationships with their own bodies, as being pointed out as something shameful," said Krista.

Véronique Maggiore, who works in the field of gender-based violence, was at the protest to lend her support.

"I just think it's ironic that it says here that the Wood Street school has a policy against harassment. And I think it's interesting that the application of the dress code is done in a way that harasses students," she said.

"Students are being sexualized and objectified and singled out and bullied," in the way the dress code is being applied, she said.

She said for students to have their role models single them out in that way "sets the setting for problematic society."

"The idea that women's bodies or girls' bodies are something that needs to be contained or restrained because it's somehow problematic is itself problematic," she said.

The group of students and parents also organized a petition, which will be delivered to the territorial government soon, asking it to review the policy regarding dress codes in schools.