MzWings
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Re: New Trend: kids wearing PJ's to school
« Reply #5 on: Mar 26th, 2004, 10:47am » |
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Students defy school rules; wear pyjama pants to class Wed Mar 24 2004 By Nick Martin Ealing drops off Cassandra at school wearing pyjama pants. TWO defiant pre-teens wore pyjama pants to Ecole Provencher yesterday while their parents dared Louis Riel School Division to suspend the kids again. (I absolutely do not agree with these parents who are backing the preteens defiance. These pants are pj's regardless what "dept" they're in. Someday, when the kids pull this defiant attitude to get their way at home, the girls will throw this ordeal back in the parents faces. It's no wonder there are so many problems with our kids today. [Yes, I know Confusius said the same thing waaay back when. ]) Twelve-year-olds Tiara Smook and Cassandra Ealing wore the pants -- which they say are loose and comfortable fleece pants, and which the school says are pyjamas -- even though they were suspended last week. Tiara said her mother, Bernice Porter, had instructed her, if she got suspended again, to "stay at my desk unless the police come." Louis Riel School Division appeared to be looking the other way yesterday in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, which will come to a head when Porter and Cassandra's father, Jim Ealing, go before trustees April 6. They'll demand the school division either back off or ban a wide variety of loose clothing such as sweatpants and track suits right across the division, Ealing said yesterday. (Sure - they could. Maybe make it a requirement to wear uniforms would suit them better? Louis Riel superintendent Terry Borys said yesterday he had instructed Provencher principal Suzanne McCarthy not to talk to the media. "The students and teachers have to get back to learning," Borys said. "There's been bullying of teachers in the school," he said, declining to elaborate or comment any further. Borys said the division will not be talking about what -- if anything -- happens inside Ecole Provencher to any child wearing pyjama pants. Borys said the division has been receiving many phone calls and e-mails from across the city, applauding Ecole Provencher for taking a stand on what is acceptable in student dress. But Provencher parents have also expressed concern about the unwanted attention the school is getting, he said. Ealing said he did not expect Cassandra to have any trouble in school yesterday. The division and the board want to keep things as quiet as possible, he said. "The school board wants to take a little heat off," he said. Ealing has left it up to Cassandra to decide what to do if the teacher or principal orders her to leave class. "She knows she's supposed to stay in school," Ealing said. If Cassandra gets an in-school suspension, "I'll come back and see them, I guess." Ealing said his other daughter, Hayley, was at the dentist yesterday morning, but would not be wearing pyjama pants when she got to school, because she chooses each morning to dress as she sees fit. "She's going to be wearing skin-tight white jeans, which are legit to come to school in," he said. Cassandra said teachers ignored the pyjama pants that the three girls wore Monday, but made other girls wearing the pants in support of the trio change into jeans. Cassandra said the pyjama pants are fleece pants that are sold without a top, and are not meant to be worn as pyjamas. The girls do not roll down the waistband to expose their midriffs, Cassandra said. Porter said she was not expecting trouble yesterday. "The whole point of school is to be educated, not to be playing games," she said. Porter said pyjama pants are fine "as long as the kids are covered." Satin pyjamas, or any kind of short clothing, is not acceptable, she said: "I don't think little girls should be showing their bodies." Several kids waiting in the schoolyard for classes to begin yesterday yelled at reporters to leave Ecole Provencher alone. "Give our principal a break -- it's her first year," said one girl. Elsewhere in the city, most officials of school divisions have not returned calls about their own policies on pyjama pants. Pembina Trails superintendent Paul Moreau said principals make the call locally. "There's generally a test with respect to modesty," said Moreau, who speculated that pjyama-like pants could be acceptable, but actual sleepwear would not be appropriate for school. But, said Moreau, "I'm concerned how the parent is handling this matter. That's way out of line, in my opinion." [email protected]
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