By Morgan Bryce
Staff Reporter
More than 100 Opelika High School students were turned away from last Friday’s homecoming dance because of confusion surrounding the school’s dress code.
Dr. Farrell Seymore, OHS principal, said the reason for this was a simple case of miscommunication.
“There were some discrepancies between our student handbook policy regarding dress code and the school board policy. Our student handbook said that dresses had to come to the knee length, and the school board policy says to mid-thigh,” Seymore said. “As a result of that, many did not get a chance to attend. After listening to concerns about the matter, we decided to host another dance … we can hopefully be more inclusive and hope everybody has an opportunity to attend.”
Kathy Niswender, whose daughter is a freshman at OHS, said her daughter was one of the first in line to be turned away because her dress was not knee-length.
“My daughter wore the same-length dress to school on Wednesday for their homecoming assembly. It never occurred to me that she would get turned away for length, so we were completely shocked, and she was embarrassed,” Niswender said.
Plans for the second dance have not been solidified, but the Observer will report those details as soon as they are announced.
