One student was arrested by police during a protest against a dress code "blitz" held at at a Ottawa high school, a policy which many said left them feeling degraded and humiliated..The school dress code change at Béatrice-Desloges Catholic High School in Orléans on Thursday provoked outrage among students and parents, who accused it of being overly strict and targeting girls..The school's dress code says all students must wear pants, skirts or shorts “of an appropriate length (mid-thigh), and that tops should cover the upper body completely and shoulders by an appropriate width..Staff asked several students to change their clothes and some were brought into the hallways to clarify the school's dress code..“I didn’t appreciate that. It made me uncomfortable and it was a little humiliating, because it was in front of other classes too," a student at the school said..“I was in shock. It made me think of some sort of 1950s kind of thing. It feels like they were targeting the girls," said one parent..A note from the school's principal, Marie-Claude Veilleux, claimed that the blitz was done in all classrooms to ensure compliance with the dress code..“I would like to point out that the interventions of staff members were made respecting the dignity of the students,” Veilleux said..“The school administration recognizes that the strategy used could imply that students were targeted. Far be it from us to want to offend some people, and we are sorry if some students have perceived it that way.”.Many outraged students, several wearing shorts in protest, participated in a demonstration on Friday. Students marched from a nearby park to the school, several holding sings that said 'Why just the girls?'.When police arrived to help school staff with the protest, they arrested one youth who was not a student at the school..Ottawa Police Service said the boy, who was arrested for "causing a disturbance and trespassing." He was escorted off the property and released with no charges or tickets issued..The French Catholic school board said in a statement that it takes the complaints about the blitz “very seriously.”."The administration is aware that various versions describing the situation are circulating in the community," the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est said in a statement..A school board superintendent said they received “many emails” on about the blitz and that he would go to the school to meet with staff and students. .The students say they have another protest scheduled for next Tuesday.
One student was arrested by police during a protest against a dress code "blitz" held at at a Ottawa high school, a policy which many said left them feeling degraded and humiliated..The school dress code change at Béatrice-Desloges Catholic High School in Orléans on Thursday provoked outrage among students and parents, who accused it of being overly strict and targeting girls..The school's dress code says all students must wear pants, skirts or shorts “of an appropriate length (mid-thigh), and that tops should cover the upper body completely and shoulders by an appropriate width..Staff asked several students to change their clothes and some were brought into the hallways to clarify the school's dress code..“I didn’t appreciate that. It made me uncomfortable and it was a little humiliating, because it was in front of other classes too," a student at the school said..“I was in shock. It made me think of some sort of 1950s kind of thing. It feels like they were targeting the girls," said one parent..A note from the school's principal, Marie-Claude Veilleux, claimed that the blitz was done in all classrooms to ensure compliance with the dress code..“I would like to point out that the interventions of staff members were made respecting the dignity of the students,” Veilleux said..“The school administration recognizes that the strategy used could imply that students were targeted. Far be it from us to want to offend some people, and we are sorry if some students have perceived it that way.”.Many outraged students, several wearing shorts in protest, participated in a demonstration on Friday. Students marched from a nearby park to the school, several holding sings that said 'Why just the girls?'.When police arrived to help school staff with the protest, they arrested one youth who was not a student at the school..Ottawa Police Service said the boy, who was arrested for "causing a disturbance and trespassing." He was escorted off the property and released with no charges or tickets issued..The French Catholic school board said in a statement that it takes the complaints about the blitz “very seriously.”."The administration is aware that various versions describing the situation are circulating in the community," the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est said in a statement..A school board superintendent said they received “many emails” on about the blitz and that he would go to the school to meet with staff and students. .The students say they have another protest scheduled for next Tuesday.
