Skirting the Issue

Charter schools, uniformity, saddle shoes & dress codes.

I grew up going to Catholic school where uniforms were required, along with daily confession and prostration, reciting the beatitudes in latin, and scrubbing the church’s stained glass windows with toothbrushes.

We had two uniforms—one for spring and one for fall/winter. Both uniform styles were paired with the most uncomfortable saddle shoes the school administration could find, typically two sizes too small. The spring uniform was slightly preferable to the winter one. It was a light blue skirt that came below the knee, practically to the ankle, paired with a white blouse and Peter Pan collar.

The winter uniform was a wool plaid jumper for the lower school and a wool plaid skirt for the upper school, paired with aforementioned white blouse and saddle shoes. We could wear navy cardigans if it was cold, although that meant you were weak and not worthy of the Lord.

Why does this matter? For one, uniforms were instrumental in helping me become the woman I am today and explaining my strong tendency to wear tartan. Second, there’s a charter school in North Carolina whose “traditional” dress code was blocked by a federal court for being unconstitutional. The lawsuit is now being appealed to the Supreme Court after the Holy Trinity refused to hear it, calling it “really stupid.”

(Our own Ken Paxton is one of the attorneys general urging the Supreme Court to hear this case. He must have been called to duty by his ego.)

As reported by The 19th, the K-8 public charter school dress code required girls to wear skirts or dresses or full Amish wear in order to promote “chivalry.” In other words, no pants, which just make children question their sexuality. The only thing missing from the dress code is a chastity belt and any chance at a normal relationship in the future.

The Charter Day School seeks to provide a “classical, traditional-values-based education” that relies on the dress code to promote “mutual respect between boys and girls.” Dude. Uniforms don’t foster an environment of “mutual respect.” They just make little kids look like sad mini-adults, forced to wear clothing more appropriate to a social function at Baylor.

My daughter has to wear uniforms (not just at school but on weekends when I make her wear matching outfits with me) but her school is private. Although they’re established and operated by private groups, charter schools still receive public funding. Best of both worlds and totally legal.

One of the major complaints against charter schools is that they take money away from the public school system and enforce their own rules, such as demanding that innocent boys dress like Little Lord Fauntleroy.

Baker Mitchell, the founder of Charter Day School, says that the skirt requirement means that girls are “regarded as fragile vessels that men are supposed to take care of and honor.” Notice his use of “men” instead of “boys.”

I hope Baker likes prison uniforms.