Teen in turtleneck sent home because outfit 'could possibly make the teacher feel awkward'

A 17-year-old high school senior was sent home last week for wearing an outfit that her school deemed inappropriate, sparking widespread outrage. The outfit in question—a white turtleneck paired with a black, knee-length dress—was described as "awkward" for teachers. Christopher Wilson, her father, detailed the incident in a now-viral Facebook Live post, explaining that his daughter, Karis, was removed from her class at NorKam Senior Secondary School in Kamloops, British Columbia. The experience left her in tears after being taken to the principal's office.

Wilson expressed frustration over the treatment his daughter received, particularly given its apparent lack of justification. "Today my daughter was sent home for wearing clothing that made her female teacher and her male student-teacher 'feel uncomfortable,'" Wilson wrote in his post, as reported by the Daily Mail. "She was called out in front of her class, told she needed to leave, and then taken to the vice principal before being sent home in tears."

In his post, Wilson highlighted Karis' determination to make a difference. After discussing the matter with her, he shared that Karis wanted to ensure no other student has to face a similar experience. "Please stand with Karis and [me] to hold those involved accountable and ensure this never happens again," he urged.

"If you're a teacher and you're distracted by clothing your students are wearing, then you are in the wrong profession," Wilson said on the Facebook live. "Maybe you should try something new." Speaking to CBC's Radio West about the incident, he explained what happened in his daughter's class that day. "[Karis] was told that it could possibly make the male student teacher feel awkward and it could make [her female classroom teacher] feel awkward since it reminded her of a lingerie outfit," he said. "It's actually a very modest outfit when you actually look at it... I think the initial comments were based on the fact that it had lace."

Wilson shared that the "surreal" incident deeply upset Karis. "[We] kind of saw the aftermath of her coming home in tears and just really broken up, confused," he said. "There was a female who was singled out because what she's wearing could make someone in a position of power over her feel uncomfortable. And the more you think of it, the more you say it, the more you understand that this is absurd. It shouldn't happen."

There has been an outpouring of support for the teen since the incident, with several women and girls posting images of themselves in similar outfits on social media. Karis's classmates also staged a walkout in solidarity on Wednesday, holding signs that read: "I am not my dress" and "My education is more important than what I wear" and "Am I distracting you with my midriff?" According to Wilson, the vice-principal and principal have handled the situation well and the school district superintendent also reached out to the family. "If there's a silver lining to this, [after feeling] that centered out and awkward, [it's to] have everyone stand up, stand beside you and say, no, this isn't OK, we're with you," he said. "We could definitely learn some lessons from it. I know for a fact that they're taking this very seriously and it might be an opportunity to promote learning for the teachers as well."

This article originally appeared 3 years ago.