Bathroom Break?

Should a transgender person use the bathroom of the gender to which the identity, or according to their physical makeup?

    As the social norms in America change and adjust over the years, so do the social taboos that go along with them. In a school in Maine, a transgender fifth grader was not allowed to use the girls’ bathroom, which is what she identified with. However, in court, it was ruled that this violated the anti-discrimination law and that a transgender SHOULD be able to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

    While this is definitely a step in the progression of America, many districts are still  grappling with the issue. By not allowing a student access to a certain place, it promotes the discrimination in schools, which should be a safe environment. It takes away the right for a student to express who they are. Being told to use the faculty bathroom or the bathroom in the nurse only emphasizes the humiliation and the isolation.

      If America is a land of freedom and expression, then why are we not living up to our words? No person should be faced with being forced to use a gender restroom that they do not even identify with. Identification of gender is what should make up the school policies, and those students should not feel ashamed in that school environment to do so.

The Way on Teacher Tenure

  Who’s rights triumph who’s? The teacher or the student? Well, according to Rolf M. True, a county trial court judge in California, the students’ right to a good teacher overrules the job protection of teachers.

           The education of students is becoming increasingly important, and that stems from the teacher. A bad teacher can ultimately influence a student away from a certain subject, while an effective educator impassions the student with the subject matter. A bad teacher who is protected by tenure takes away the right for the student to have equal education.

          Students specifically from low income neighborhoods get stuck with ineffective teachers, thus lessening their education. A teacher should not be protected under this tenure if they are useless in the classroom.

           Public education has been facing this problem because the system has stopping putting the needs of students above else. Instead, the security for teachers has taken over until this judge decided otherwise. Poor education can truly lead to a less successful life, and teachers are a huge factor in promoting lifelong success. 


      I have been lucky in my high school that my teachers are very well qualified, however in surrounding neighborhoods, students are not so lucky. The public school system needs to spend more time focusing on the growing future for America by putting the rights of students to have equal education above the rights of a highly ineffective teacher.


For more information, Tenure

To Eat or Not to Eat?

       That is the question. The newest rule implemented in the Weston High School handbook denies student the ability to eat or drink (besides water) outside of the cafeteria. This

applies to the classrooms, hallways, and the gym.


        While the reasoning behind this rule may be helpful to student with allergies, those students are exposed to all of the things they are allergic outside of school. Outside of the school environment, there is no one to tell the person working next to them to put their peanuts away. Or  if the person near you is eating nuts on an airplane there is no “rule” saying they cannot do so. In reality, this

rule is not real life and does not allow students without specific allergies to enjoy their food.

       As a growing teenager, I can admit that we get hungry sometimes. For athletes, it is important to each throughout the day to be satisfied for the day’s workout. Unfortunately, from the hours between 7:30 and 2:50, we can only eat for a 30 minute period between 10 and 12. With the new rule, students cannot even enjoy a snack if they get hungry at 1.

       This restriction only hurts the ravenous students who want to enjoy some food, as well as sheltering the other students from a situation that is inevitable in the real world. Students need to have that right to eat or drink whenever they please; it’s high school, not a prison cell. Therefore, the answer is always to eat.

Forced Allegiance to the Flag

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

         This line was recited every morning in my school for years and in the Board v. Barnette Supreme Court case. In a public school, where kids are from different countries and believe in different things (not necessarily just the “Nation under God”), this allegiance should not be repeated.

       In this supreme court case, there was a requirement that all teachers and students were required to honor the flag. The court decision revealed that the forced salutation was unconstitutional.

    Because of the difference in faiths and beliefs, schools can not be able to force the salute. While the Board vs. Barnettte case did uphold this, in a California high school, teachers and students forced an atheist student to stand up and recite the pledge.

According to the student, he was intimidated to the point of being compelled to stand up and join in. Students should feel safe and comfortable enough in schools to express their beliefs and opinions, and not feel unsafe due to pressure.

    It is a personal preference to want to express their views through saying the famous pledge, however it violates a student’s freedom of expression, speech, and even freedom of religion.

    While the pledge of allegiance was synonymous with the previous generations, as we evolve as Americans, we need to alter of practices as well.

Dress Code: Beneficial or Sexism

       People express themselves through dress, just as people expresses themselves through speech. Therefore, the First Amendment should protect student dress. However, in many schools, the administration tries to overpower this given right by determining what one may or may not wear.

         In the Weston High School Handbook, dress code guidelines are outlined as dress that “typically makes others feel uncomfortable:
•Bare or exposed midriffs
•Low cut, see-through, or tight tops
•Low-rise pants/shorts or short shorts

•Exposed underwear (including bra straps)
•Inappropriate language/pictures on clothing”


      
             Students have the right to freedom of expression through what he or she wears. Dress codes in particular refer to the dress of girls. A main argument as to why a strict dress code should be enforced is because when girls wear something to exposing to revealing, it males males feel uncomfortable. As a female, I should not have to dress a certain way to please other people. 

          I truly do not think that me wearing a tank top to school is hindering other students from learning. And if it does, that is not my fault; it is their problem to deal with. It is not a girl’s fault if a male feels uncomfortable around a girl wear a tight tank top or short shorts.
     
     The only rule in the dress guidelines are males are

 teacher thinks a female’s shirt is too low or her skirt is too short, she will be humiliated by being forced to change. This double standard  not only emphasizes the gender inequalities, but also restricts female students and their rights.
       
          However, males can wear tank tops on ‘Tank Top Tuesday’ yet females get reprimanded for wearing such things. When it is 95 degrees outside and we are contained into a small space without air conditioning, it is reasonable that one would not want to wear pants or a long sleeve shirt. If a male is seen with his pants sagging low, rarely will a teacher tell him how to dress or to change.

       
          However, if one wears something to school because he or she wants to, others in the school should not be allowed to tell them to do otherwise. If someone does not like it, then they can deal with it. Freedom of Speech can be expressed on T-shirt or sweatshirts, therefore students should be allowed to express these views in school. 

           After all, it isn’t like we are not exposed to these things outside of the classroom. While a school environment should be a safe one, wearing something that one person might find offensive is something they should have to deal with; it is not actually threatening anyone else. If teachers do not like how one is expressing themselves or their personal opinions, then simply don’t look at them.

          I myself have experienced instances where I fell victim to the school code. In middle school, a teacher pulled me outside of class because she felt that my dress was "too short" for what she thought was right. She said, "How do you think boys will think of you?" I don't, and have never, dressed for anyone besides myself. Girls do not dress in a provocative manner to impress boys or something along that lines, so

faculty should not have the right to tell otherwise.This is what leads to slut shaming when girls get older. In schools, telling young girls that their skirt is too short and inviting boys should not be perpetuated in that environment.

              We, as America, have been progressing ever since it was considered "scandalous" for a woman to show off her ankles. In order to keep growing as a country, this type of environment and slut shaming by dress code  needs to be stopped, and the dress code handbook needs to be updated to current times. 

A Shameful Suit

Who could have imagined that a modern day "Scarlet Letter" would happen in this day and age, resulting in unimaginable violations of rights?
             At a Florida high school, a 15 year old girl was forced to wear a so-called “shame suit” after being told that her skirt was too short for the dress code. Instead of going home to change or having a parent drop off spare clothes, the administration made her

Girl forced to wear "Shame suit" at High School

change into a neon colored T-shirt with the words “DRESS CODE VIOLATION” in bold. A pair of bright red sweat pants were an addition to this outfit. 

        This act violated the girl’s rights as a student because it publicized her discipline. In this case, the school punishment violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act*. By wearing an outfit all day that demonstrated her “violation” of dress code, it directly violated this act since the school did not have written permission from the parent or student to display this information.
        In this specific high school, violating the dress code results in either being forced to wear this “shame suit,” humiliating the student, or suspension. No student should have to face this indignity in front of the student body and faculty. 
           This “punishment” was more than just making her change- it exaggerates a “Scarlet A,” showing everyone that she violated the rules.

*For more information on FERPA, see FERPA .
For more information, see Shame Suit Violation .