Shorts draw in-school suspension for student
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| Submitted photo/ Alex Yorty |
sclubb@yourjournal.com
On an unseasonably warm March day, Alex Yorty decided to wear shorts to school.The freshman at McKinley Classical Junior Academy soon found himself in in-school suspension. He had violated the school's policy about when it was appropriate to wear shorts. There is a "shorts season" at the school for gifted students and Yorty was caught wearing them too soon.
The student and his mother, Gina McCullough, were furious that the school suspended him over wearing shorts on a day when the temperature was above 70 degrees. School administrators counter that Yorty knew the rules and had been warned about wearing shorts out of season. The school does not allow shorts between Nov. 1 and April 31.
Yorty, who started attending the school this year at 2156 Russell Blvd., admits he knew about the policy. He said he wore shorts to school about a month ago and was told by Principal Brenda Smith that he would be punished if he again broke the rule. He said he doesn't wear shorts when it is really cold, but it was warm again on March 12 - the day the school suspended him for two-days.
"I wore shorts to school thinking I would probably get in trouble," he said. "I didn't think they would really suspend me for wearing shorts."
Georgia Bland-Whitfield, a St. Louis Public Schools administrator who oversees middle schools, said parents and teachers have input in forming the policies for the school's student handbook. She said Yorty had full knowledge of the expectations of the school.
"If asked to follow the rules, it becomes a matter of insubordination," she said.
McCullough said she was incredulous when she received a call from the school's assistant principal saying her soon was in in-school suspension. McCullough teaches gifted students in an adjoining school district. She said half the students in her school would have been suspended on the warm day her son wore shorts to school, if her school had a similar policy.
McCullough said she asked administrators in the district if McKinley had a policy stating when girls could wear carpi pants or dresses to school. She said she was told the school did not have such a policy.
The Journal requested the school district to provide a copy of the school's student handbook and the policy regarding shorts. The district did not make the policy available by Journal press time. It should be noted the district was on spring break during the week the Journal was developing the story.
Yorty served one day of in-school suspension. His mother took him to school the next day and he wore shorts again. McCullough wanted to talk to the principal, but was told she would have to wait. She took Yorty to school with her that day. He did not go back to McKinley before spring break.
McCullough talked to an attorney, who she said told her that unless a school requires school uniforms it must explain how its dress code impacts academics. She said she has received no explanation from the school.
Bland-Whitfield said there were other avenues through which Yorty could have addressed the issue, if he believes the policy is unfair, rather than by disobeying it. She said there is a student government and the administration has an open door policy.
Yorty said he tried to address the policy with the assistant principal, but was told the rules were the rules and he must obey them. He said other students also disagree with the rules, but no one had taken action.
Before this year McKinley was a sixth- through eighth-grade school. This is the first year it has had a ninth grade. The plan is for it to expand to become a sixth- through twelfth-grade school.
Bland-Whitfield said she has discussed with the principal the idea of changing how the school approaches its older students.
"They may want to provide them with the opportunity for a little bit more expression," she said. "High schoolers may want their own space in the school. They want to be heard. They have ideas and opinions."
