Father Fights Los Gatos Middle School Dress Code For Teen Daughter
LOS GATOS (CBS SF) -- A Los Gatos middle school is considering a change its dress code after a father stood up for his daughter when she was recently sent home over what she was wearing.
13-year old Demetra Alarcon was told her clothes were distracting to boys, but her father argued there's something bigger at stake.
"I mean, today it's 90 degrees outside and she's wearing leggings because she doesn't want to be dress coded for wearing shorts, explained Demetra's father Tony Alarcon. And it's not OK. It needs to change While she may only be 13, the eighth grader could end up being the reason for a major change in policy at Fisher Middle School.
Demetra was pulled out of a class by her teacher for wearing a romper a couple of weeks ago. The teacher insisted the garment was too short.
"I brought her a change of clothing which included a tank top with spaghetti straps and shorts" said Alarcon.
But he said school leaders weren't happy with that outfit either because the shorts didn't have a four-inch inseam.
For Tony Alarcon, enough was enough.
"Fisher has a dress code policy which is clothing specific. Most of the clothing mentioned are women's clothing like halter tops spaghetti straps," said Alarcon.
He asked for input from neighbors on NextDoor.com to see if his argument against the current dress code made sense. He received dozens of messages of support.
"We have to have dress codes that are fair and reasonable and that don't cause them emotional issues; cause them to question their bodies or feel like they're sex symbols at 13 years old," said Alarcon. "Because they're not. They're just kids."
One woman wrote, "Your post has reminded me of some fairly serious body image issues of my own that have stemmed from our cultural shaming and sexualizing of girls' bodies."
"So she's in her 40s and working through it still," said Alarcon.
He doesn't want his daughter or any other young girl to have to go through that.
"You have to stand up for what's right and that's what I'm doing," explained Alarcon.
Los Gatos Union School District Superintendent Diana G. Abbati did not want to speak on camera, but did release a statement regarding the dress code.
"Students are expected to wear clothes that are suitable for the school activities in which they participate," the statement read in part.
The school district met Monday night to discuss the dress code. Abatti said that parents should learn the decision on the dress code in the near future.