Katie Bonnema: administrator

How was it dealing with the dress code situation [Sept. 8] compared to other days?

[Sept. 8] was very much like a typical day. As administrators, we felt that there were maybe even less infractions today than on an average day in the school year.

Were there any preparations made in terms of what you were expecting with the dress code protest?

Dr. Murphy and I talked a few times on Sunday and Monday. She drafted the email that went out to parents reminding them of what the dress code is and what could potentially take place if students chose not to follow the dress code and then also not adhere to an administrator’s request to change. That communication went out and administrators communicated with one another so we were all aware of what kids had been talking about.

What were you expecting with the dress code protest?

I think I was hopeful after reading both the article and the editorial that students would heed [the newspaper staff’s] advice in the editorial and work through their student government reps to voice any concerns that they had. I expected some students to maybe wear a tank top and protest so to speak, but I was hopeful that it would not be disruptive and that if students chose to do that, they would also comply with the request to change or meet dress code. Overall, I think students must have taken the advice that [the editorial] gave and really talked about it and decided to go about it that way.

Bonnema confirmed that Dr. Murphy made phone calls to select parents prior to Tuesday, informing them of a potential protest and consequences involving their students.

Did you have any struggles with the parents that were called?

There were no struggles. If a student violates a school rule, it’s very common we would contact parents and let them know of the infraction. We don’t tend to do that with dress code very often because if a student is violating that school rule, most often they’ll turn around and comply with… dress code. Those tend to be more informal conversations than it would be if it were a different school rule that had been broken. Dr. Murphy did contact a couple of parents just to make sure they were aware of the role their students were playing in the kind of situation that was going on. From my understanding…they were positive productive conversations, just kind of informative, letting parents know what was going on and parents asking questions and really not a big deal.

How are you moving forward with dealing with students who are concerned about the dress code?

My hope is that they’ll come directly to an administrator and let us know. My preference would be that they work with their student government…and let that group then be the voice for the student body as it’s designed for it to be and let it bring forward to the administration feedback from their peers and any sort of proposal to move forward.

Do you have any general message to people who are standing up for a cause but are not sure how to do it in terms of dealing with administration and wanting to voice their concerns?

I think it is a good thing for anybody to question what’s going on around them and to ask questions if they don’t agree with something and to voice concerns if they have them. I think there are times when it’s appropriate to rally support and to present a concern in a more impactful manner. I think there’s always a best way to go about a situation and that best may look different if it’s a high school rule or a guideline at a place of employment or a bigger societal issue…I think having conversations with people will help students figure out what that best way to go about advocating for change is and once that avenue is discovered then kind of rallying students or their peers or their colleagues or whoever it may be at that time to move forward and to act.

Rachel Herron: freshman, wore tank top for protest

Why did you chose to be a part of the protest [Sept. 8]?

I feel like the rule is really discriminatory to girls because they let the boys go shirtless in gym sometimes and let them wear tank tops, but they don’t let the girls. So I wanted to join the protest to try to get them to realize that it’s not distracting.

Have you faced any trouble with the administration [After school, Sept. 8]?

No, not yet.

What is your plan if you are to get in trouble?

Just put my jacket on because I don’t want to get a suspension.

The point of the protest is to wear tank tops. How do you think after they tell you to put your jacket on it’s still going with the protest?

Because we made our point to the biggest extent that we could without going against the principal’s words. We do as much as we can until we can’t do it anymore.

What do you think is the next step with trying to change the dress code?

Probably we need to write letters to the administrators or do a petition or something to let them know a lot of people feel this way and that we are not okay with it

How did you hear about the protest?

Twitter, emails and people I know.

If this doesn’t work, what do you think students should do as a response?

We could just try to wear the tank tops and stuff and if they tell us to change then change because we have to follow the principal’s rules.

Have you seen a lot of people wearing tank tops [Sept. 8]?

No, and I was kind of disappointed.

Why were you disappointed?

I was disappointed because I wanted it to make an impact and if not many people do it then they’re not going to take it seriously because not that many people in their minds are concerned about it.

What do you think impacted their decision?

Probably because they didn’t want to get in trouble…Maybe they thought they would get suspended if they wore it instead of if they just didn’t follow what the administration asked them to do.

Have you ever been dress coded before?

At my middle school I was dress coded for short shorts on the last day of school but that’s the only time.

Why did you choose to protest if you haven’t gotten into trouble with the dress code before?

It’s not just for me, it’s for the whole school. I don’t feel like the girls should get dress coded for showing shoulders since it’s not distracting. I think boys should get in trouble for sexualizing the shoulders that are showing. I feel like that’s what should be getting the administration’s attention.  

Have you ever been in a situation where boys have said the shoulders are distracting?

No, I haven’t but I don’t think it’s distracting at all I just think that they’re joking and making fun of ‘it’s against the dress code you’re gonna get in trouble.’ I don’t think they stare at girls’ shoulders the entire class and can’t focus on work.

Are there any last things you want to say about the protest?

I just really wish if they made this rule they’d make it fair to both genders.

Olivia Haston: sent and tweeted email about dress code to Bonnema, was planning to wear tank top

What were you expecting with the dress code protest [Sept. 8]?

I wasn’t really expecting much because I didn’t personally start the whole protest thing–that was more the girls who were super against the dress code. I thought some people would wear tank tops and some wouldn’t.

Were you planning to wear a tank top?

I was going to wear a tank top until Bonnema called my dad and said like ‘hey, listen Olivia’s planning on doing this she’s gonna get in trouble.’ So I decided…I’m not gonna wear one [Sept. 8] especially when I’m definitely going to get in trouble.

How do you think the dress code protest turned out?

I don’t think it turned out that well because not many people joined in or did it this Tuesday. I think [Bonnema] intimidated people with the word suspension…Even I sat there and thought for a while, ‘is it really worth it to get suspended for showing my shoulders at school?’ I think everyone’s reaction was just the same–’is it worth it?’

How do you feel about how the dress code protest ended up?

I think we got our point across clear enough that we don’t need to get suspended for wearing tank tops, but I mean it didn’t turn out as good as it could have but it definitely put our words down about them approaching us kinder and how we think it’s ridiculous. They heard us out, especially Bonnema when I talked to her.

What are you planning to do about the dress code in the future?

I’m definitely going to wear tank tops because I think that I should be allowed that option. I’ll still wear the shirt that I got in trouble for because there is no rule about having your skin color showing through. If they ask me to change I’ll respect them and put on a flannel or a sweater or something but just say ‘hey, it isn’t inappropriate.’ Hopefully, other girls will feel comfortable wearing tank tops too.

Did your mindset about the dress code or your approach to the dress code change?

My mindset didn’t change about it; I think we should still be allowed to wear tank tops to a certain extent. But my respect for Bonnema and other people did change because they’re just doing their job and I understand that. But I made it clear to Bonnema [about] approaching people a little bit kinder…If I get approached in another rude manner I’m definitely going to say something again about it. It’s not fair to me or anyone else…who is being called out rudely…I don’t think the administration realizes that they’re putting people down by being almost rude to them, and no one spoke up [about it] until I sent that email or until Jensen created a group message saying ‘hey this has happened to me before.’ and others would agree.

What do you expect to be changed with the dress code?

I don’t expect the Blue Valley district to change their dress code, but I do expect Bonnema and the administration to be more lenient with what we’re wearing. From what I see, every girl that’s showing her shoulders has a modest top on, it’s nothing bad that I see with the girls who are still getting in trouble and having to change.

Do you have any last words about the protest or the administration?

I just hope that they approach people nicer and treat us better. I hope that we can bring back the two or three finger strap rule.

Sam Elliott: senior

What exactly did you know about the dress code protests that was supposed to happen on Monday?

I heard from a group of people that there were a bunch of girls that were going to come in tank tops, and basically they were trying to protest the rules with the dress code. I know girls are angry about it and they don’t like that they can’t show their shoulders. In that case I kind of agree with them on the shoulder part, but other portions of it like the see-through stuff, and the really short stuff–I don’t really think that is necessary for school but they still want that. I mean I’ve heard a lot about it and I have a lot of friends that are girls and they have been pushing for, not to get rid of it completely, but to loosen it up a bit.

What’s your personal perspective on the dress code?

I don’t believe that it should be as strict as it is, especially the tank top thing. I think that’s ridiculous, it’s just your shoulders, you know no one is obsessed with your shoulders. I believe that it’s just a little too strict for a school setting and I believe they can be loosened, however I don’t think that [the girls] need to go to the extremes that they do. Ask, and if [the administration] isn’t going to do that, it’s only four years of your life and it’s not even that long. I agree with them in a sense, but in a sense I don’t.

The idea from some girls is that men are sexualizing the female body; what is your view on that?

Coming from a male, my thing is … the girls are trying to blame it on the guys that the rules are so strict. In the same sense, I don’t think it’s the guys fault that the girls choose…what they want to wear…If they know that they wear something that is not necessarily the most appropriate, they’re going to get looks, obviously. There are so many people in the school – someone is going to give them looks; there’s always going to be people who look at you and it might not even be for the reason of sexuality…I just don’t like how the girls are handling it.

How you think that the way [girls] are looked at plays a role in their protest to change?  

I think that basically, it’s just kind of affected the way they are going for change; they are just using the guys for ammo against the administration, but in reality they should be using [reasons] like: it’s their right to wear what they want.

How do you think the guys are effected by the dress code?

Honestly, the only thing that affects guys is if someone decides to wear a hat, or a tank top, but both of those I don’t find to be a big deal at all…Really, I mean it should be focused more on being more appropriate, now there’s a line that’s drawn of what’s appropriate and what’s not. But that’s where it gets iffy…There are going to be girls who want to fight it and there’s going to be administration that wants to fight it…no matter what we do, there’s always going to be a conflict…It has affected the guys much less than the girls because the girls with what they wear nowadays, is different than what it used to be, and it is different than what guys wear. Guys are more covered, just shorts and shirts like that, girls [wear] shorter shorts and tighter stuff which has come with a change [over time]. The rules have just stayed the same and it has affected how people act and what they believe.

How do you think you can determine what is appropriate and what isn’t appropriate since different girls have different body types?

Basically, all people are different — that’s just how it is, so I think it really should be based upon the eye of the administration — what they think is inappropriate that is probably what everyone else thinks is inappropriate. They should probably loosen up a little bit with some of these rules, but body types shouldn’t matter in this sense; wear what makes you happy, wear what you want, but still don’t pass the line…Girls know if they are pushing it, guys know if they are pushing it, but it’s acknowledging that and just taking care of it.

Have you ever felt uncomfortable with something a girl has worn?

Me, personally, no. I’ve seen people wear that stuff outside school, I’m used to it now it’s not a big deal at all…I just don’t like how it’s been handled.

If these clothes are worn outside of school, why should we restrict it at school?

In school you are there to learn, but you also have your rights to look how you want to look and wear what you want to wear but at the same time…if you look in the business world there are people in suits, there are girls in blazers; you don’t see girls in tight stuff, when you are in the professional world of anything. School can be looked at in a professional way, because you are there to learn and you are doing things that prepare you for the future…but I think there should be more leniency, than in the business world and not be at those extremes.

How do you think the girls should move forward with changing the dress code?

I think they need to come up with a basis stance because they basically just have complaints right now. If they want something to change they need to do something about it in the way of making a platform…The platform they have right now is ‘we’re being discriminated against because we’re wearing what we want to wear.’…If this is something they want to do they need to gather the girls that want to do this and shape it and come up with a plan of how they’re going to do that. Whether it means going to the administration and talking to them, getting parents involved, getting adults involved that agree with them…If they want the support of the student body, they need to stop blaming it on the guys because you’re not going to get any support from any guy if you’re going to blame it on them; that’s half the population.