Student on the Hot Seat for Wearing Sweatpants to School
Sophomore at odds with school's dress code, missed nine days of school.
Photos
When 16-year-old Stephanie Milligan wakes up in the morning, she'd like to head off to Lakewood High School, where she attends classes, gets good grades and has a number of friends. But after falling down a flight of stairs and injuring her back on Thanksgiving Day, she has missed classes for nine-straight school days.
But it's not because she cannot get around.
The issue is sweatpants — and whether Stephanie should be allowed to violate the school's dress code to wear them. The code is clear: "Oversize, saggy, baggy or tight fitting clothing will not be permitted."
Lakewood High School Principal William Wagner said there are medical exceptions that a student would be allowed to wear sweatpants, but he questions the severity of Stephanie's injury and her need to wear sweatpants.
At first, Stephanie's doctor sent a note to the school asking permission that the teen be able to wear loose-fitting clothing.
The school received another note from Stephanie's doctor asking that she be able to wear sweatpants or yoga pants specifically. The purpose of the loose-fitting clothing was to reduce any restriction around the injured area, according to the doctor's note.
Wagner explained that school officials try to work with doctors in an effort to help injured students.
"I don't write prescriptions for them and they should not write prescriptions to circumvent our dress code," said Wagner. "They don't understand what the dress code is all about or how it is imposed."
He reiterated that initial orders specified only loose-fitting clothing.
"There is lots of loose-fitting clothing that aren't sweatpants," Wagner added. "We have kids who are heavy, kids in wheelchairs and kids with a number of issues and they are in compliance with the dress code. When we shared that with the parent, we had (Stephanie) go home and change and the parent was unhappy with it."
He said Stephanie returned to school again wearing sweat pants and was again sent home for violating the school's dress code.
"After explaining about the dress code to her mother and about the loose fitting clothes, she decided to keep her daughter home," Wagner said, noting that he hopes Stephanie can return to school soon because he's concerned that her absence may begin to have a negative affect on her grades.
The debacle has not sat well with Stephanie's mother, Mary Hayghe.
"Some may think I have an axe to grind, but I just don't think it's fair," she said. "I believe they decided to take her and make an example out of her," she said, adding that other students at Lakewood High School are allowed to wear sweatpants with out being reprimanded.
Hayghe is considering legal action against the school. Meanwhile, Stephanie has missed nine days of school.
"I'm really outraged because they are practically denying me my education because of a pair of sweatpants," Stephanie said.
Hilary Rosebrook
11:04 pm on Monday, December 20, 2010
Fine. Students should adhere to the dress code. But how is the school administrator qualified to decide this student's medical needs better than her doctor? If the doc says she should be allowed to wear sweatpants, then she should be allowed to wear sweatpants. People hate to be told how to do their jobs. Let the school administrators decide how best to teach and the docs decide how best to treat. One student wearing sweatpants for medical reasons should really not be that big of a deal.
jonh
1:31 pm on Wednesday, December 22, 2010
I'm not sure if this Ryan fellow is extremely dense or a mole for the school. Back injuries are not a thing to trifle with, if the doctor says keep pressure off of it, pressure should definitely be kept off of it. To hell with the school that doesn't accommodate the injury, it's a lot more important for her to have her back heal properly than to stick to a dress code that could aggravate her injury with lifelong implications. The principal is trying to be a hardass about the rules when he should be more diplomatic about it.
urallidiots
1:33 pm on Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Ryan, I sincerely hope you are a troll. This is a summary of the article for simpletons like you:
1. The Dr. said it is medically necessary to have her wear sweatpants.
2. The school ignores this and sends her home multiple times.
3. Therefore, the school is denying her right to an education and ignoring their ability to make a common sense call and allow sweatpants in this instance because A DOCTOR REQUESTED IT.
I hope the family gets a huge judgment off this. The school is already in the process of getting embarassing since I found this story on a national news site.
Common sense shouldn't be treated like an artform; everyone has the ability to reason
Strontium90
1:48 pm on Wednesday, December 22, 2010
"I don't write prescriptions for them and they should not write prescriptions to circumvent our dress code," said Wagner. "They don't understand what the dress code is all about or how it is imposed." ......And the 2010 award for "PATHETIC, ANAL RETENTIVE, SELF JUSTIFYING, SMALL MAN WITH A SMALL JOB" goes to: Principal Wagner!
Jessica
2:47 pm on Wednesday, December 22, 2010
I agree with Ryan. Follow the rules. She is denying her own education. I hope the principal stands his ground. The doctor said baggy clothes but Stephanie didn't follow that. She wants her own way so she went back to ask for sweatpants. Stay home so administration doesn't have to deal with stupidity since there is enough of that with the parents already.
Micah Wilson
2:56 pm on Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Jessica, Ryan, I believe you either haven't read the entire story or you have a reading comprehension issue. Or you are just a troll. Either way, go sit on a tack.
Jesse Williams
4:10 pm on Wednesday, December 22, 2010
I won't be quite as directly insulting as Micah, but Jessica, could you or Ryan explain your points in a little more detail? It's not like the girl just woke up one day and said, "forget the rules, I'm wearing sweatpants." She's injured and that was part of the doctor's request due to the injury.
This would be like a school administrator not allowing a student to take their insulin injection because of a no-drug policy. Medical neccessity trumps ridiculous bureaucracy every time, in my opinion.
frank moore
3:57 pm on Wednesday, December 22, 2010
micah, yo u are 100% right. Jessica has her brain in th wrong place, And the principal is an idiot and should be rode out of town on a rail in his jockey shorts. He better hope he doesn't get sick and need one of the doctors, since he thinks he is so smart.
lkwdmom
9:03 am on Thursday, December 23, 2010
NINE days of school? Obviously her education does not mean that much to her or her mother. If you could not find something suitable in 2-3days, then they are just looking for attention & $$$. This is so NOT about her "special needs".
watchamacalic
9:23 am on Thursday, December 23, 2010
Is it true her mom used to work for the school system until she was fired and this is a way to "get back" at the system? Also is it true that the principal was willing to let her wear certain pants that were loose around the waist but she was insistent on wearing a specific pair of pants? I hope she come to her senses and has a real meeting with the principal and comes to some middle ground, missing too much school is going to cause a lot of challenges for her in the future. An education is important, unless she just plans on suing people for a living. ;)
andy
11:16 am on Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Lakewood High School Principal William Wagner practices medicine without a license.
Cardinal Fang
1:57 pm on Wednesday, January 5, 2011
I'd just go ahead and homeschool her. School is a petty, idiotic way to spend your childhood. All four of my kids were unschooled, and without one day of formal education, they are all happy, successful college students. Really, it's your choice to let some mid-level, useless government functionary like a school principal dictate your life. Get out while you can.
Andie
5:30 pm on Friday, January 7, 2011
Amen, Cardinal, AMEN!
Further, why is a government led school allowed to dictate clothing choices to allegedly free people?
Anyone who agrees with such an absurd notion should make an attempt to read the Constitution and get out of the way of free people.
Drew
7:54 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
There are many types of loose pants that are not sweat pants. I am a teacher (not in Lakewood) and you would not believe some parents these days. We are teaching our children how to defy authority and live in a "me me me" society. So you're going to hold your child out many days because you want to run to the media to let everyone feel sorry for you? Give me a break. Get off your butt and buy some pants that are not tight and follow some basic rules.