A Florida high school student went to class on Monday wearing an oversized Calvin Klein shirt without a bra underneath. However, she ended up with Band-Aids on her nipples after her Dean said that she was causing a "distraction" for other students. Lizzy Martinez from Braden River High School in Bradenton, Florida was called into the Dean's office where the Dean Violeta Velazquez, who told her there was a "distraction" that had to be addressed. She was then given another shirt to wear.
Talking about the incident, Martinez told BuzzFeed News. "They had me put on a second shirt and then stand up and, like, move and jump around to see how much my breasts moved. I was mortified." Not satisfied by the looks, she was taken to the nurse's office where she was given four Band-Aids, two for each nipple.
Martinez said, "They told me to cross out my nipples and I just went to the bathroom and cried. I was in shock that it was such a big deal that I wasn't wearing a bra. Most days I don't wear one. It depends on my mood. I'm not wearing one right now, and why should it matter?"
Martinez received inundated support on social media after she tweeted about it. Her Facebook post on the same was also widely shared. However, the Braden River High School blocked her on Twitter.
Her mother also took to social media with this post:
The school authorities also called up Martinez's mother Kari Knop telling there was an issue with her daughter's dress. Knop said she was furious when she learnt her daughter was asked to cross out her nipples "because a teacher or a boy was uncomfortable or laughing at her."
Mitchell Teitelbaum, the district's general counsel said that situation could have been handled in a better way, however, the girl had broken the school's rules. Teitelbaum said, "There was a violation of the School Dress Code and it was an appropriate matter to address by the school. It is clear the intent of school officials was to assist the student in addressing the situation. No disciplinary action was taken in relation to the student." However, the school's dress code policy does not specifically mention bras or undergarments.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 10, 2018 06:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).