A few years ago, Riverdale’s High School was the first in the nation to prohibit student-athletes from wearing any clothing deemed inappropriate or inappropriate for a high school event.
It’s now one of only a handful of schools in the country to do so.
But the dress code remains largely unchanged.
As a result, a few high school girls are opting to wear a costume instead of a dress.
“I was like, ‘I really wanted to wear something,'” said Jasmine Deveney, a senior at Riverdale.
“I’m a tomboy and I wanted to be different.”
A few years back, a Riverdale high student asked a friend to create a costume to dress up as a girl to school, according to The Sports Bible.
When the friend made the costume, she was surprised at how she found it difficult to walk the halls without being judged.
“It was like they were saying, ‘You’re too weird, you’re too different,'” Deveny said.
“The only thing I could think about was that I looked like a tomboys’ doll.”
While the Riverdale costume was meant to be a “dress up” for school, the student who made it said she felt uncomfortable and uncomfortable with it, according a report from the New York Times.
The student didn’t want her name used to protect her privacy, and she told The Sports Bible that she had to wear it for safety reasons.
But Devenes mom was more concerned about what might happen if her daughter went into the school gymnasium wearing a dress that she said looked “too feminine.”
“They don’t want to see a tomboless body, so they’re like, you look like a doll,” she said.
Deveney said she’s seen a few other girls wearing costumes, including one who was sent home because her classmates were “shocked” by her attire.
“They think, ‘Oh, she’s a tombolless,'” Devilys daughter said.
But even if the costume is made to be something other than the school’s dress, the school still has the right to punish students for wearing the costume.
“A dress code is a piece of clothing that is not appropriate for a school event,” said school principal Mary-Ann Coughlin in a statement.
“A student who violates a dress code will be suspended for an amount of time based on the severity of the violation, with the possibility of a suspension for further discipline if the student is found to be wearing a costume that violates the dress codes.”
So what’s a girl supposed to wear in Riverdale?
The answer is pretty straightforward.
A student’s body is meant to have a silhouette, so the school is “guaranteed” that the dress will be appropriate, according Coughlins statement.
But a student’s “shape and proportions” are also important to consider, the statement says.
“As a school, we are committed to creating a safe learning environment, and we will take disciplinary action against students who are in violation of the dresscode,” the statement reads.
“We will work to ensure that all students feel comfortable and comfortable in their clothing.
If a student feels uncomfortable or uncomfortable in their own body, they may ask a staff member to take their body to the nurse to have their shape and proportions assessed.
Riverdale High’s dress codes are enforced by the district, not the school. “
Inappropriate attire does not reflect the school or the district.”
Riverdale High’s dress codes are enforced by the district, not the school.
The school is the only source for the dress rules.
And when it comes to the costume rule, school administrators do not have authority to enforce it.
De Vey’s daughter is just one of many Riverdale students who have opted to wear the costume instead, and it’s a good thing that the district and school administrators are working together.
“The dress code isn’t just about the girls who wear it,” Coughin said.
“[The school is] the first line of defense and is able to enforce dress codes, but I do think it’s important that the school can also do more to make sure the students feel safe.”
Follow Sarah on Twitter at @mjmorris24.
