In Freeburg, a dress code flyer given to grade school parents is causing a stir in the Illinois town, and on social media. The flyer was given to parents on Monday during registration at the grade school.
Freeburg CCSD #70 Superintendent Tomi Diefenbach said there were so many dress code violations last year, that school officials felt they needed to clarify to families exactly what the dress code entailed. But some Freeburg parents and alumni felt just as violated by the visual depiction of the dress code, which they are calling sexist.
It contains drawings of inappropriately dressed men and women, and at the bottom, two photos of women’s bodies, one dressed in a so-called “lady like” way, and the other dressed in a “distracting” and “revealing” way.
Freeburg alumna Lindsey Mank saw the flyer on social media, posted by a friend with a sibling at the school.
“It blew up,” she says, “everybody had an opinion about it.”
The main concern, expressed by Mank and some Freeburg parents, is the inequality.
“The pictures, the phrasing, the sexism in it," Mank said. "There’s not many depictions of males in the entire flyer.”
Out of ten pictures, just two show inappropriately dressed men. Some say the lack of male images reinforces the impression that female bodies are a distraction, but male bodies aren’t.
Mank is also bothered by the extra-long shirts needed to cover up not only leggings, but any form fitting pants.
“It’s just demeaning to these girls that are now buying clothes two sizes too big, just to be able to confine to these rules that are now being put into effect," Mank said. "So they have to change their entire wardrobe, just to go to school and get an education.”
She would like the school district to apologize.
Others believe the flyer’s clear, visual guidelines are unfortunately necessary. One parent who volunteers at the school tells NewsChannel 5 she’s seen clothing that’s made her jaw drop.
The superintendent says the dress code has not changed from previous years. She also says she isn’t opposed to changing the flyer in the future, if there’s a better way to portray what students can and cannot wear to school.
