Federal Judge Strikes Down Girls-Only Dress Codes
Publicly-funded schools cannot force female students to wear skirts, the court finds.
As Elizabeth Warren might say, "It's about damn time." Associated Press reports:
A Brunswick County charter school promoting traditional values engaged in unconstitutional sex discrimination by requiring girls to wear skirts, a federal judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge Malcolm Howard ruled that Charter Day School can’t enforce the skirts-only rule as part of its dress code that punishes violations with suspensions and even expulsion. No child has been expelled for violating the dress code since the school opened in 2000, Howard said in a decision filed on Thursday.
But girls are clearly treated differently than boys at the kindergarten through 8th grade school in Leland, Howard ruled. That’s a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection requirements.
The judge noted that there was no proof that wearing a skirt improved educational outcomes. Duh.
Kudos once again to the ACLU for their work.