A federal judge ruled that a North Carolina school broke the law when it required girls to wear skirts.
Judge Malcolm Howard ruled that Charter Day School unconstitutionally discriminated on the basis of sex when it required girls to wear skirts, The Associated Press reported, citing a Thursday decision.
The guardians of three girls sued the school in 2016, alleging that the dress code makes them colder than boys during the winter and also “forces them to pay constant attention to the positioning of their legs during class, distracting them from learning, and has led them to avoid certain activities altogether, such as climbing or playing sports during recess, all for fear of exposing their undergarments and being reprimanded by teachers or teased by boys,” the AP reported, citing Howard’s summary of the arguments.
Charter schools are funded with taxpayer money and are considered public schools but are not government-operated.
Members of the school’s nonprofit board told the AP that the uniform is part of the traditional values education it provides students, which parents who send their children to the school know about.
