A Florida mum is outraged after her daughter was forced to wear what she calls a “shame suit” after she violated the school’s dress code.
 
On her third day at Oakleaf High School, 15-year-old Miranda Larkin arrived in a black skirt that was four inches above her knee.
 
This is too short according to the school’s dress code, which is strictly enforced.
 
The punishment for violating the dress code at this high school, is to wear a neon yellow t-shirt and bright red tracksuit bottoms with “Dress Code Violation” printed on the front.
 
Students are also allowed to have someone bring them in a more suitable outfit, though Miranda claims no one said this to her.
 
Miranda was made to wear the punishment outfit for the rest of the school day, which her mother feels was cruel and humiliating.
 
"She put on the outfit in the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror and just broke down.” The teenager’s mother, Dianna said. “She started sobbing and broke out in hives."
 
"I feel that by putting a kid in an outfit that says what they did wrong across their chest and down their leg is taking their private records and making them public and that's a clear violation of their privacy rights." She added.
 
 
Miranda was allowed to leave school early that day without further punishment. Her mother says she is filing a complaint with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), for making her daughter's punishment public.
 
The school board stands by their dress code violation policy, and denies the punishment violates FERPA.
 
“I have given this consideration, looked at FERPA and have even asked other opinions in other districts.” The statement read.
 
“None of us see this as a FERPA violation as it is not a personally identifiable student record. Additionally it is not displaying a discipline record to the public. If we put the kid on work detail all students would know that he/she is being disciplined."
 
“If we put in ISS same result. Saturday school same result. Community service, same result. If we took off the words the other students would still know that the prison orange t shirts were for dress code violations.”
 
“I think that the practice is okay. In Alachua county they have t shirts that say "dress code winner". What is the difference? As to bullying, I think some parents would say that any consequence is bullying. I see no issue with the practice.”

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