A Normal Day
It was a completely ordinary morning at the McKinlay household. Melissa made breakfast for her children as she usually did and send them all off to school. She didn't notice anything wrong with any of her kids' outfits when they left the house.
One of her daughters was wearing jeans with a hole in one knee, a pretty common piece of clothing, right? Well, to school authorities, that was not acceptable.
Getting Suspended
Melissa's daughter was having a good day until it was time for history class. As she started doing a quiz, one of the school administrators separated her from the group.
The male administrator told her that her outfit was against school rules and that she was going to get suspended. Apparently, her ripped jeans were a violation of the dress code, and so she had to be sent home.
An Unexpected Event
Melissa's daughter was in shock. She couldn't believe that her jeans were so outrageous to the school administrator that she had to be sent home and be suspended. She had seen thousands of people wear that same style of jeans before and there was nothing wrong with it... right?
She had never been suspended before, so she felt awful. Now, she had to go home and tell her parents what had happened. Hopefully, they would take her side and do something about it.
Overreacting?
Melissa's daughter could not believe what had just happened. She was convinced that the school administrator was overreacting because she could not figure out how showing her knee was considered offensive.
When she got home, she told her mother Melissa about it. Luckily for her, her mom was outraged as well and could not understand what happened to her daughter. She decided to do something about this unfair situation.
Taking Action
Melissa's first instinct was to make a post on Facebook. She uploaded a picture of her daughter's jeans and wrote a passionate message to the school on her Facebook page so that all her friends and family would see what happened.
Through her post, she revealed the real reason why her daughter's jeans were considered offensive, and this made the post go viral because people could not believe what they were reading.
The Real Issue
What Melissa revealed in her Facebook post was that the male administrator that approached Melissa's daughter told her that her jeans were provocative for her male classmates.
Everyone can agree that hormones are an issue for teenagers, but how could a knee be considered "provocative"? Melissa believed that the school administrator was just being sexist and had no reason to suspend her daughter.
A Sexist Action
Melissa believed that the root of the issue was sexism. After all, the boys in her daughter's class were allowed to wear ripped jeans, but the girls weren't. Why should the girls be taught to cover themselves while the boys are not taught to control their impulses?
Melissa did not let this situation die on her Facebook post and actually took it a step further. After all, she held a very powerful position in the government that allowed her to spread the word about the issue.
Making Things Right
Melissa was not going to stop until school authorities did something about the issue with her daughter. She wanted to have the dress code changed and the school administrator suspended for his insensitive behavior, and she actually had the power to do so.
Not only had her daughter been embarrassed, but she had lost a full day of school because of this. Not only that, but she didn't even finish the history quiz she was having when the school administrator pulled her out of class.
A Mayor Issue
Melissa McKinlay was actually THE Palm Beach County Mayor. If anyone had to power to make noise, it was her. Not only that, but she was also a member of the District Six council.
She had a platform and a voice that would be heard, and she wasn't going to stop until the school changed its outdated dress code and ideas about how girls and boys are supposed to act.
Her Ultimate Goal
As mayor of Palm Beach County, Melissa worked on many initiatives, including holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for the opioid crisis. If she wasn't afraid of going after all those huge corporations, she wasn't going to be afraid of the school.
Melissa needed to get to the bottom of the situation. Maybe the school administrator had just acted on his own, or maybe he was just following orders. Either way, someone had to be held accountable, and that was Melissa's goal.
School Rules
After doing some research, Melissa found out that wearing ripped jeans was in fact against school rules. Any kind of torn clothes are forbidden to wear, and Melissa understood that.
However, just because a rule exists it doesn't mean it is justified. The explanation behind the rule seemed sexist and the school needed to change the rule or at least come up with a better reason for it.
Enforcing The Rules
Part of the reason why Melissa's daughter was so upset was that she had seen many students wear ripped clothes and they were never punished for it. In fact, she had seen several boys wearing jeans just like hers.
Why did this school administrator decide to just target Melissa's daughter? Why would a girl be punished for wearing ripped clothes while the boys are not bothered? However, other people had a different point of view.
Different Opinions
Because Melissa made a post on Facebook, many people commented their point of view on the situation. While many people agreed with her, others had different thoughts on the issue.
For some people, the issue was plain and simple: Melissa's daughter broke the rules and she was punished accordingly. She should have known better than to wear something that the school did not approve of, and so she deserved suspension.
Symptoms Of A Bigger Issue
To Melissa, it was all very clear: the problem wasn't the clothing, but the logic applied to the school rules. Thinking that girls are responsible for boys' hormones is an outdated, dangerous thought that leads to victim blaming.
When boys do something inappropriate, the issue is downplayed and the girls are blamed for it because they were "provocative". Melissa did not want her daughter or any other girl to be subjected to that sort of logic.
A Powerful Response
After reading the comments on her post, Melissa replied to those who were siding with the school. She believed that they were missing the point and that the jeans weren't the real issue.
She wrote: > “I’m sorry, but, EXCUSE ME? Perhaps my daughter should have worn a different pair of jeans. But why should she have to worry about dressing a certain way to curtail a boy’s potential behavior? So, like, it’s her fault if the boy touches her because of what she was wearing?”
Boys' Hormones?
At the end of the day, even if one agrees that girls should have some modesty, the fact that all this girl was showing was her knee goes to show that the school had some pretty antiquated views on the situation.
To this, Melissa said: > “Did seeing a knee affect your ability to concentrate? I’d like to think her intelligence and quick wit, beautiful smile and wicked sense of humor might. But her knee?”
Looking Into It
After Melissa made her post on Facebook and also wrote a letter to the school, the school replied saying that they would look into the situation.
The first thing they would do would be figuring out exactly what the school administrator told Melissa's daughter and then go on from there. Melissa was not going to stop until something was changed.
What The Rules Actually Said
The Principal decided to look into the situation. While he indeed confirmed that clothes with holes were not allowed by the school handbook, he did find something interesting about the kind of punishment that would result from breaking the rules.
The handbook stated that violations to the code could lead to detention at lunch and, if things got more problematic, more severe punishments could take place.
Victory
Even if someone did not agree with Melissa's theory that it was all because of sexism, it was clear that the punishment her daughter received was excessive and against school rules.
Not only that, but the fact that the administrator told her that the reason behind the rule was that she was "provocative" was completely inappropriate. Just saying that it was against the rules would have been enough.
A Better Future
Melissa hopes that this situation teaches something to everyone at the school. Administrators should be more sensitive and fair when it comes to punishments, and outdated ideas should not even be discussed with the students.
To put an end to the situation, Melissa wrote on Facebook: > "“The message that somehow a woman’s wardrobe is responsible for a man’s behavior is wrong. In any form. I am hopeful this will be used as an opportunity to provide further sensitivity training to staff and students.”