Florida’s Bartram Trail High School, which received attention this year regarding its dress code, is facing more criticism after 80 female students’ yearbook photos were edited without their permission.
According to the St. Augustine Record, the reason for the change was to “add more clothing.”
“The controversy comes as the school is already embroiled in a debate over its handling of the district’s dress code, which some say is sexist and unfairly targets girls. Critics said the yearbook editing sends yet another harmful message to female students,” the newspaper reported.
Adrian Bartlett, a mom of a student, said her daughter’s picture was edited around the chest area to add more coverage.
“I think it sends the message that our girls should be ashamed of their growing bodies, and I think that’s a horrible message to send out to these young girls that are going through these changes,” Bartlett commented.
School district spokeswoman, Christina Langston, said the school’s yearbook coordinator, Anne Irwin, determined the pictures were out of dress code and did a portion of the editing.
Journalist Joe McLean shared one of the photos in question:
Per @SJCSD, Anne Irwin, (who coordinates the BTHS yearbook) deemed this & 79 other female outfits to be in violation of the dress code. I'm asking the district whether they actually were breaching the policy. The students say they were never told about any violations at the time. pic.twitter.com/iVbB10THsq
— Joe McLean (@JoeMcLeanNews) May 21, 2021
However, parents have voiced disagreements and claimed the students were not violating the dress code.
Langston said the school’s “previous procedure was to not include student pictures in the yearbook that they deemed in violation of the student code of conduct, so the digital alterations were a solution to make sure all students were included in the yearbook.”
McLean shared more photos that appeared in the yearbook, but said only one of them was altered:
All of these photos appeared in the Bartram Trail HS yearbook, but only 1 was digitally altered because the yearbook coordinator believed it violated the student code of conduct. In total, 80 photos were "adjusted" in the yearbook, all featuring female students. #News4Jax @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/j1YCblxjjE
— Joe McLean (@JoeMcLeanNews) May 21, 2021
Following the outrage from parents and students, the St. Johns County School District is offering refunds to those calling about the problem, News 4 Jax reported Thursday.
Parent Taryn O’Keefe is joining others in advocating for change regarding the district’s dress code and plans to bring the editing issue to the School Board.
“They’re already dealing with challenges with their peers … I think it sticks with them for their lifetime,” she told the Record.
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