A school in Pearland, Texas, is reportedly reevaluating its dress code after a male Shadow Creek High School student received an in-school suspension for wearing makeup in class last week, and refused to remove it.
Alvin Independent School District's (ISD) dress code, which was "established to teach grooming and hygiene" and to "promote responsibility and self-esteem" among its students, clearly states that "boys may not wear make-up". Male students are also forbidden from wearing earrings, and must keep their hair above their shoulders.
While the identity of the individual has not been revealed, his ordeal has prompted a backlash on social media, with many vying for Alvin ISD to instate a more inclusive dress code.
The male student's classmate and friend, Jasmine Richards, has since started a Change.org petition to challenge the school district's "gender biased policies," which she claims are "based entirely on outdated and sexist gender standards."
"A boy wearing makeup should not be considered any more distracting than a girl wearing makeup. These policies harm young boys by telling them that they are not allowed to participate in the same forms of self expression that girls are, simply because they are boys," Richards asserted in the petition, which has already garnered over 1,700 signatures. "This has to change. We are asking for Alvin ISD to review and modify their dress code so that it is free of gender discrimination."
Daniel Combs, the assistant superintendent of Alvin schools, spoke to local station, KHOU11, saying that "The dress code is not set in stone. [It] is reviewed every couple of years at the most."
Combs has since met with Richards, and the male student, and now intends to get parent and student input on the matter before making any official changes to the dress code.
In the meantime, the student at the centre of the issue plans to attend school sans makeup to avoid any further disciplinary action.
