Seventeen-year-old Karis Wilson was sent home from her high school in Kamloops, British Columbia for wearing a dress over a turtleneck, an outfit described as inappropriate by her teacher.
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Karis’s father, Chris Wilson, called the incident absurd and said that it should not have happened. Karis’s teacher pulled her out of class and escorted her to the principal’s office in order to dress code her.
“[Karis] was told that it could possibly make the male student teacher feel awkward and it could make [her female classroom teacher] feel awkward since it reminded her of a lingerie outfit," Chris said on CBC's Radio West.
The dress was knee-length with lace trimming and the turtleneck was white.
“It's actually a very modest outfit when you actually look at it,” Chris said. “I think the initial comments were based on the fact that it had lace.”
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Karis came home from school, upset and embarrassed by the incident.
“[We] kind of saw the aftermath of her coming home in tears and just really broken up, confused," Chris said.
“There was a female who was singled out because what she's wearing could make someone in a position of power over her feel uncomfortable. And the more you think of it, the more you say it, the more you understand that this is absurd. It shouldn’t happen.”
With his daughter’s permission, Chris posted on Facebook describing the event. The post has since garnered 40,000 views. But the support didn’t stop there.
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Klaris’s classmates staged a walkout. During the school day, the students in Klaris’s class all left in the middle of the lesson to show support and solidarity.
Since the situation received a lot of attention, the vice principal and principal have begun to handle the dress code differently and the school district superintendent has gotten involved.
“We could definitely learn some lessons from it," Chris said. "I know for a fact that they're taking this very seriously and it might be an opportunity to promote learning for the teachers as well.”
This teacher embarrassed a student for wearing a completely appropriate outfit to school and put her perceived needs of a student-teacher before those of her own students. However, the school didn’t sit back and allow the injustice to go unresolved. They stood by Klaris’s side when she needed them, and now the principal and the teachers will be handling dress codes better.
This is an important reminder to stand up for your classmates and stand up for your children when they need you. Injustices can be rectified when we make our voices heard.
