Should ten-year olds be allowed to wear mini skirts to school?

This is great stuff. First of all, if this is a public school, then dress codes are unconstitutional and this student has recognized that fact and is standing up for student's rights. But let's look at the more important issue. We teach our kids about history and part of that is understanding the Constitution. This kid isn't just getting by passing the test, she's actually putting it to use in her life. While we as adults think the topic of clothing isn't worth fighting for, we are missing the point. For a kid, clothing is the most they have to be worried about in some cases, but they recognize when their rights are being limited and the fight back. Someone give her history teacher a pat on the back...that teacher managed to get through to the students! Nice to see that our nations future lies in good hands.

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Although that skirt looks completely modest in this photo, I'd be willing to bet it rides up pretty high when she sits in a desk and she has to tug it down all day. That's just a fact with short shirts and sitting down. Her school has a right to enforce a dress code, especially when some of the girls clothes I see at Target should come with a dance pole as an accessory.

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Where's dad in this picture? I bet he would have a differing opinion on the matter.

This mother is obviously a complete moron, and I hope she gets enough feedback from this embarassing publicity to realize it.

Why exactly do you suppose it is necessary to sew shorts into the lining of these skirts, mom?

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That girl's skirt could have "Juicy" or "JailBait" written across the ass and that mom would still be clueless. Good grief, am I glad my first is a boy.

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I think as long as the child's parts are covered let them wear it. Who gives a rip how short it is as long as it covers up what it needs to cover up. And mckenna, wear do you work, a boot camp? Style ~should~ be a priority because it is a freedom of expression! And half the time the schools don't even care about the kids or their education they just wanna look like a good school!!!!
At my child's school they treat them like some kind of ANIMALS!!!! They just yell at 'em all the time!
And what discusts me the most is that it got rated one of the top ten schools! But no one realizes that the kids get treated like crap untill a parent goes and volenteers or goes to eat lunch with the kid!!!!So on the outside they look like a GREAT school but to realize what the school is really like you have to walk in and see what goes on in those torcher chambers they call "classrooms"!!!!!!!!!!!! Trust me, They wouldn't want me on the schoolboard!!!!

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"Style ~should~ be a priority because it is a freedom of expression!"

Freedom of expression has its limits in public schools though - there they have a reasonable right to restrict disruptive clothing (not hair, as that's not something you can change) styles.

Additionally, I'm sure you'll agree that your child's first priority shouldn't be how she's dressed, but how much she learns. That's the purpose of school - to learn, not to show off how cool your clothes are.

"So on the outside they look like a GREAT school but to realize what the school is really like you have to walk in and see what goes on in those torcher chambers they call "classrooms"!!!!!!!!!!!! Trust me, They wouldn't want me on the schoolboard!!!!"

This is completely unrelated. Nobody is talking about the educational practice of the school, or the other issues they deal with - we're talking about their ability to set a reasonable dress code. Ten year old children should not be attending school in clothes that are likely to flash people when they sit down.

And, geez, chill with the exclamation points, would you? They make it hard to take you seriously - I'm sure that's the opposite of what you want, yes?

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We appreciate your efforts to publicize our daughter, Zoe Hinkle’s, disagreement with the position held by her principal at Streams Elementary in Upper St. Clair. We have all learned very valuable lessons from the experience.



One of the most visible lessons is the ability of the media to take a story of somewhat limited mass appeal and create a firestorm of controversy. In reality, Zoe’s miniskirt “protest” was more about the loss of innocence than her choice of clothing.



There is no written dress code in the elementary schools of Upper St. Clair. The school district stated that such issues usually do not occur at this level (K through 4th Grade). Zoe’s principal, Dr. Miller, chose to create a policy and then chose to selectively enforce her perception of “appropriate”.



We continue to support our daughter’s stand and would like to clarify the justification for our belief. In today’s society, our children are forced to grow up rapidly. My wife and I feel that it is totally inappropriate that a figure of authority has the right to instill the perception upon a then 9 year old that she should think of herself in a sexual context. The reality of the world will come in due time and we, as parents of a teenager, are well armed to handle that certainty. We do not feel that it is the job of an elementary school principal to take it upon herself to decide when adolescents become young adults.



We are proud of our daughter’s courage. She took a stand against what she felt was unfair. We have no qualms with other parents’ decision not to allow their girls to participate. We do find troubling the impression of possible retribution toward the younger siblings of the potential participants. The mere thought of negative bias indicates the level of confidence in school administration.



Zoe has gained untold strength from the recent events. We have complete confidence in her growth as a positive role model. More importantly, within minutes of arriving home from Friday’s “protest”, she and another friend were doing what is “appropriate” for ten year olds; riding bikes and playing in the back yard. We only wish her principal could have kept things so simple.





Sincerely,



Craig & Leslie Hinkle

Upper St. Clair, PA

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"One of the most visible lessons is the ability of the media to take a story of somewhat limited mass appeal and create a firestorm of controversy. In reality, Zoe’s miniskirt “protest” was more about the loss of innocence than her choice of clothing."

Hate to tell you, but "loss of innocence" is not exactly what she is fighting against. Because, here is the reality: girls are hitting puberty earlier. Marketing execs are targeting girls in exactly this age range to buy these clothes because they are SEXY, not stylish. I'm sorry, a 10 year old in a miniskirt is not stylish, it is foolish. I'm a 21 year old parent, and even I can recognize that. Take a gander around a site called Perverted Justice, or watch some Dateline. You'll see.


"We continue to support our daughter’s stand and would like to clarify the justification for our belief. In today’s society, our children are forced to grow up rapidly. My wife and I feel that it is totally inappropriate that a figure of authority has the right to instill the perception upon a then 9 year old that she should think of herself in a sexual context. The reality of the world will come in due time and we, as parents of a teenager, are well armed to handle that certainty. We do not feel that it is the job of an elementary school principal to take it upon herself to decide when adolescents become young adults."

If you feel that you should be solely responsible for instilling values in your child, i strongly suggest you look into homeschooling. Because, as stated before, a miniskirt, in this day and age, and from what I've seen from the picture, is not a "stylish" accessory, it is blatantly sexual. I have worn skirts that short before: when seated, skirts have a tendency to ride up to 3.5 inches higher. That would be quite a distraction to the teacher trying his/her hardest to teach while watching your daughter squiggle and squirm adjusting herself, and a major distraction to the other students, the boys whom are preoccupied because they're seeing some leg, the girls whom are preoccupied trying to figure out if they could pull off that look. Sorry to inform you, but when you place your child in a public school, you are fully entrusting that school to be responsible for your child. If you feel so strongly that it should be yours and yours alone to raise your child, then promptly yank her from school, as I would not want my children influenced by your daughter's innappropriate clothing, and behavior. Children need to be taught that rules are rules. Just because it is allowed in your home doesn't mean they can do it where ever they please. It is the same as letting them jump all over your furniture in muddy shoes at home, and then allowing them to do the same as a guest in someone's home. Disregarding rules outside of the home because they are OUTSIDE OF THE HOME is disobedience, and it teaches children to be self-indulgent and "entitled".


"We are proud of our daughter’s courage. She took a stand against what she felt was unfair. We have no qualms with other parents’ decision not to allow their girls to participate. We do find troubling the impression of possible retribution toward the younger siblings of the potential participants. The mere thought of negative bias indicates the level of confidence in school administration."

And I will take a stand against what I think is unfair: that someday, my children will be subjected to attempting to learn, only to be distracted by flagrant disobedience, disrespect, and foolishness, because you, as parents, have decided that it is harmless to place a 9 year old CHILD in a MINISKIRT and then plop her in public school with other children.

"Zoe has gained untold strength from the recent events. We have complete confidence in her growth as a positive role model. More importantly, within minutes of arriving home from Friday’s “protest”, she and another friend were doing what is “appropriate” for ten year olds; riding bikes and playing in the back yard. We only wish her principal could have kept things so simple."

A positive role model would recognize that while it may be ok in her own household to rock a six inch mini, it is not appropriate for a public school setting, where she sets an example for other students, whose majority of parents would GREATLY disagree with your own, if i may say, leniant ideas. A positive role model would leave the mini at home while she participates in school, as it makes MY job harder as a parent to explain to my child that it IS inappropriate for her to wear a mini, and why so-and-so is allowed to do it isn't my problem. It makes it more difficult to instill values in our own children when you allow your child to prance about in things we wouldn't dream of BUYING our children, let alone allowing them to wear it to school!

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Well, I'm still in middle school and I'm ten and I agree with her. She wants to go to school with that on, she can. There's now law against that. If someone started getting mad at me for wearing what I wanted to wear, I would start a protest. I think what she did was smart and I support her. You go Zoe! (and no getting mad at me! I'm ten years old and I can't vote.) In school, we had to take one of those tests, and they all said FIngertip Length except me and the Drama Club. Oh, and my bestest friend and my boyfriend said shorter too. She's just fighting against the rules. So what? No need to get mad at her. She's just a ten-year-old like me who wants to wear shorter skirts. Just like me.

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Thats just HOT!

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hi im tabitha and im 10 years old and i think that mini skirts should be allowed to wear mini skirts at elemantary schools!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! our principal hasnt said any thing about wearing mini skirts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!most people dont like mini skirts because thay think that thay are to short and not apropriate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! me and my friend serena took a survay of how many people like mini skirts. we have 24 people in our class and 11% said yes 10% said no and 3% said maybe!!!!!!!so what do you think of this most people like them!!!!!!!!!!!!thank you and have a nice day!!!

mini skirts is ok from
tabitha and serena





P.S

write back if you can

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do you think 10 year olds should be able to wear mini skirts to school. I do cause i think that the schools should not beable to tell you what to wear cause there not your perants.do you agree with me? THANK YOU SERENA AND TABITHA

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