“Blame the girls” on dress code, says high school vice principal
[Photo via Unsplash, Scott Webb]

“Blame the girls” on dress code, says high school vice principal

High school athletic director and vice principal, Jared Hensley was met with scrutiny following his personal stance on Chattanooga’s Soddy Daisy High School’s new dress code policy. The new policy bans athletic shorts for all students. However, Hensley told said students to specifically “blame the girls.”

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Students, parents and community members of Soddy Daisy have since expressed their concern on the new dress code. Ruled as inappropriate school attire, the act of wearing athletic shorts may land Soddy Daisy’s students in detention, or ultimately “Saturday school.”

During the school’s morning announcements, Hensley brought up a few points about the school’s dress code policy.

“I know, boys, you’re thinking, ‘I don’t understand why, it’s not fair, athletic shorts go past your knees,'” he says. “I didn’t make the rules. Well, I kinda did. But that’s the rules.”

The vice principal continued to urge angry students to channel their emotions unto one group of people: young women.

“If you really want someone to blame, blame the girls,” Hensley says. “‘Cause they pretty much ruin everything. They ruin the dress code, they ruin — well, ask Adam. Look at Eve. So, it’ll be like that the rest of your life, get used to it. Just keep your mouth shut, suck it up, follow the rules.”

Check out the video of Hensley’s stance below.

The district has since issued a statement following the incident and according to TeenVogue, the Hamilton County Superintendent Bryan Johnson says Hensley has been placed on leave.

The statement reads:

“As an educator, I believe that all students deserve a high-quality education. In Hamilton County Schools, we are committed to serving all students well. We have reviewed the video content. We find the comments about young women in this video inexcusable, as the sentiments expressed do not align with the values of Hamilton County Schools.

The situation is under investigation, and this employee has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately.

We hold our employees and our leaders to a high standard, and these comments do not match the high expectations we have for our employees. We seek to prepare all children for success in life after high school and expect our employees to provide an atmosphere that will empower all children to reach their full potential.”

What qualms do you have with high school dress codes, if any? Sound off in the comments below.