Students asked to leave Prom shirts at home
April 28, 2016
By Drew Danko
Online Editor
Photo by Drew Danko
Numerous students were asked to put their shirts inside out, or find something to cover up their shirts Thursday morning due to sayings and designs that disrupted the learning environment. In celebration of Prom Friday, many students designed and wore shirts in recognition of the event.
Dean of students for The Class of 2016 Jennifer Rowe said that the groups of students who were asked to take off their shirts had references to alcohol and weapons, which violate dress code rules in the student handbook. Additionally, the shirts were distracting to students’ learning environments. “[Dress code] is one of the big things in our handbook. Anytime it’s looking at drugs, alcohol, weapons, or any type of slurs, it’s not allowed by our student handbook. It’s very difficult for teachers when they’re teaching in the classroom when they have guns or grenades on shirts, it’s not conducive to the learning environment,” Rowe said.
According to the student handbook’s dress guidelines on page 28 BP 7:160, “Students may not wear garments or jewelry depicting alcohol”. Additionally, students are not allowed to “wear garments or jewelry with messages, graphics, or symbols depicting weapons”.
The theme for Friday’s Prom is “James Bond 007: The night never dies”. In celebration of the theme, one group of students chose to create a shirt which had a gun. However, because of the 
violation with the school dress code, these students were asked to take their shirts off. “I had to take off my tank top because the letters and numbers on it looked like a gun. I was pretty unhappy and I thought it was kind of hypocritical of [the school] because they approved the James Bond theme and guns are kind of associated with James Bond,” senior Johnny Bertuca said.
However, Rowe explained that despite the theme is James Bond, some elements of the theme are not appropriate for the school environment. “We had Gatsby ball themed Prom, but it would probably be inappropriate for people to come in with bootlegged liquor on their shirts. There’s so many themes that we can take thematically, but parts would not be appropriate for certain settings,” Rowe said.
Senior Natalie Krasuski was told to take off her shirt, due to a saying that was deemed inappropriate by administrators and staff members. Krasuski complied with the teachers by taking off the shirt, but did not feel it necessarily violated the dress code, since it did not have any specific alcohol references or graphics on it. “The teachers misinterpreted it. I don’t think it violated the dress code, unless there’s actual alcohol bottles or guns, then that violates the dress code. I think if it’s a saying it’s fine, because it can be interpreted however you want it,” Krasuski said. “I respect that they wanted me to turn it inside out, so I did as they told me because I didn’t want to start any trouble.”
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Rowe explained that the school cannot allow shirts with alcohol references because of the dangerous repercussions that underage drinking can pose, especially during Prom weekend. “I have not experienced here in our district a loss during Prom from alcohol, but in my teaching career, I have. Where I have was from a school community that embraced alcohol. It was very sad,” Rowe said.
The voice of reason • May 13, 2016 at 8:35 am
If the administration didn’t want any reference to guns on the shirts, they shouldn’t have approved the Bond theme. The Bond theme quickly brings to mind a guy in a suit with a GUN. I find it ~funny~ how shirts that seem like they reference guns aren’t allowed, but I’ve seen a guy wear a shirt with a half naked woman on it many times this year. Oh well. Schools are constantly hypocritical and over- vigilant about dress codes. Metea is no different.
Anonymous • May 3, 2016 at 7:37 am
I heard that the alcohol reference was something that said like “.16” or something and that they didn’t even mean for it to be an alcohol reference. Meanwhile, another group had shirts where someone was clearly playing beer pong and they did not get in trouble.
loading... • May 2, 2016 at 7:09 am
It is just a 7 with a bar, if you want to see a gun then do, but someone wearing a shirt, that they believe represents a school event, isn’t bad. It won’t distract anyone, and most people just think that it looks cool.
Mark • Apr 30, 2016 at 7:16 pm
Come now, you’re at school to get an education. Dress to get one. 95% of students across the world would be aghast with most of the stuff we wear.
Look, I can hear out an argument about the gun thing. The theme was James Bond, so I’m not a 100% sure why the administration didn’t think that some gun related tshirts would be present.
But the alcohol thing, I mean come on people. The oldest kids at our school are still a solid 3 years under the drinking age. Sure, teenage drinking is an open secret at Metea, sadly, but you really shouldn’t be making it THAT open of a secret.
Dean Rowe is right, but alas most of the senior class doesn’t listen–or care–because they are young and free and somehow that voids them from consequences.
Swirly • Apr 30, 2016 at 10:33 am
I agree that guns and alcohol shouldn’t be on shirts. In this case, it’s harmless, but it still violates dress code.
However, why is James Bond 007 the theme? He’s a spy, and spies have guns. If you don’t want anything violent on shirts, then don’t use the theme. There are still ways to have shirts representing the them (and I like the theme) but since violence is big in James bond movies, it makes sense to have guns on the shirts.
But since we are talking about dress coding here, the school is pretty weak on that rule. Girls come to school in booty shorts, crop tops, and see through pants or shirts. I see guys with shirts and naked girls. How is this acceptable?!
The teachers, deans and other school staff notice but NEVER do anything about those.
If we dress code people with these shirts, it only makes sense to dress code other people violating the rules.
A freshman • Apr 29, 2016 at 7:40 am
Everyone knows that James Bond movies are action/violence/romance. Mostly violence. If the administration knows that they are going to make shirts based off of the prom theme, they shouldn’t choose a theme that they don’t want students wearing at school. I’m not going to lie, I think it’s a really good theme and I wish I could go, but reconsider what you’re asking of the students. You want them to spend their money by going to prom, and you want more money from other people becoming interested from their friends. The best way to usually do that would be to wear a shirt. We get it, Metea, you want to make money because lots of students think you’re cheap, but at least think about what will happen in the future because of your actions.