What ensues when you take one student with a back injury whose doctors say she needs to wear sweatpants and pit her against a hard-nosed administrator married to the dress code? Hilarity. Pure, sweet hilarity.
Meet (via Lakewood Patch) Stephanie Milligan, a 16-year-old Lakewood High student. On Thanksgiving Day, Stephanie took a tumble down a flight of stairs and injured her back. Doctors issued a note saying she needed to wear loose fitting clothing that wouldn’t put pressure on the area in question. Later, they signed off on another note saying Milligan should rock yoga pants or sweatpants to school.
But woah there. Sweatpants? Fuck no, says Lakewood High Principle William Wagner.
This article appears in Dec 15-21, 2010.
this is the most ridiculous this I’ve ever seen. I went to Lakewood High, and it’s really funny how only the disgusting trash gets away with not following the rules because no one wants to deal with it. But of course, when a doctor, who’s left toe is more educated than the idiotic principal and supernidendant speaks up, all hell breaks loose. Maybe the school should have been this pro-active when teachers were fucking their students.
What, exactly, are sweatpants? Is it the fabric, style, or fit that makes a garment sweatpants and not just knit pants? Yoga pants = sweatpants? In what dictionary?
a code is NOT a law and the excuse has bben justified by a doctor, I guess the supt. know more about health than the doctor and can override the doctor. Maybe we should charge the Supt with a crime of practicing with out a license. I guess he has nothing better to do with his time, so maybe the school board should give him some work or fire his sorry butt.
This is a basic case of power-tripping: a person with little real power gets a tiny bit and uses it to make other people’s lives worse rather than better. That’s really all school dress codes (and plenty of other rules at the typical high school) are, period: pointless rules invented so that whoever is making them can feel powerful. If it’s a rule that exists at a high school which would make zero sense in college or the outside world, then it’s probably a power-trip. Chances are the majority of the students follow the dress code, because hey, why not? But now that there’s someone who can’t or shouldn’t according to someone who actually knows what he’s doing, the Principal gets to actually exercise his power.
The personality traits which might lead to this behavior are the kinds of things that should be checked during job interviews/promotions, particularly for positions which logically require some compassion.
My question would be as to what she chose to wear…. only the author uses the words “sweatpants”, but previously it was stated that she would wear Yoga pants. Yoga pants, at least the ones I have seen at stores and gyms and classes, are lycra, and very form fitting and tight. I have to objectively wonder what she chose to wear before condemning anyone. It would not be the first case of someone abusing a Dr’s orders…
As an educator at an area middle school, I support dress codes, but NOT at the expense of the well being of students. This is more than stupid; it’s irresponsible. This child has a serious back injury that requires her to be more than usually cautious about what she wears. If I were her mother, I would be taking this to the school board, and if necessary, to an attorney. What a shocking lack of compassion and attention this administration is showing. A gigantic “shame on you” to the whole bunch!
What a pathetic little man this administrator must be. Whenever someone has to justify their own existence with this kind of anal retentive behavior you just know they are not happy with their station in life.
I have to wonder if this would constitute an IDEA violation since that student may need a temporary 504 packet or short term IEP.
I went to Lakewood as well, back before any of these ridiculous dress code rules were enforced. I also know Dr. Wagner, who seemed like a pretty reasonable guy to me before I read this story. It seems like it’s a case of the administration feeling the need to rule with an iron fist and not wanting to give in, perhaps in fear of the “slippery slope”… if we let one student do it, then what about all of the other students with “excuses” to wear sweatpants? I sincerely hope that the student and her parents continue to fight for the benefit of her health.
The principal and those authorities who back him deserve the Grade of “A” for the holes in their head.
It’s not like the girl is trying to dress like a little whore as so many students do these days. Are sweatpants really that harmful to education? This has to be the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard.
Thanks for getting my story out there! I’m glad to see that everyone finds this as absurd as I do. I’m still not allowed to attend class untill my injury is healed or a refuse my doctors orders and wear jeans. The school board has sided with D. Wagg’s and so has the congressmans office. We are looking into legal action and will not be giving in anytime soon. Thanks again! Stephanie Milligan
these school administrator’s delusions of grandeur certainly turn them into little tin dictators. the idea that a ‘dress code’ (not too loose, not too tight, just right!) is sacrosanct is absurd.
Stephanie – Is it true your mom used to work for the school system until she was fired and this is a way to “get back” at the system? Also is it true that the principal was willing to let you wear certain pants that were loose around the waist but you were insistent on wearing a specific pair of pants? I hope you come to your senses and have a real meeting with the principal and come to some middle ground, missing too much school is going to cause a lot of challenges for you in the future. An education is important, unless you just plan on suing people for a living. 😉
One begins to wonder exactly what the mission of the school is.
Apparently it is to make each student toe the line in proper attire because
logic and reasoning appear to have left the building.
First off for those of you who do not have health issues or has had many problems with the back,spine or any part of that area it is very harmful to wear any kind of pants,dresses,or skirts that are tight or form fitting.One is because if you have had an injury that is swollen because it can get to tight and add harm instead of healing,Two if there have been any surgeries where there have been any staples,stitches,or shunt’s then it can cause an infection,So before you guys start judging this girl please get the facts right.This is coming from an R.N. and a person that has had numerous back surgeries,spinal taps,and I have a shunt in my back.I have to wear loose fitting clothes and most of the time it has to be Jogging pants or something close to it.So to the young girl involved in these idiots arguments I will pray for you.
watchamacalic….you are legitimatley a fucking idiot.
So much for moving to Euclid. You have to pick your battles when you are in authority. If this is one of the battles the school fights then shame on them. Out all the issues facing our high school’s this is just should not be one of them. Seriously, not looking in Lakewood anymore for a home.
Idiots…That’s all I can say. Reminds me of those who blow there horns when someone is walking slowly across the street or one who questions the validity of someones handicap sticker. Just because you can’t SEE and injury doesn’t mean that one doesn’t exist. Although I am aware that there are those who abuse the system. There are still those who do actually need the extras.
I spent two years having to wear an orthopedic back brace. The certified orthotist who built the brace for me said to wear sweatpants, with it. What about all the kids like that who have back injuries or scoliosis who have to wear a brace, how can they be comfortable when they have to follow some insane dress code, that may interfear with their able to do their school work properly.
Actually I have yoga pants for working out (Pilates/yoga) and they aren’t tight anywhere…you have to be able to move, bend, stretch, etc. I also wear sweatpants to work out in weights, aerobics, cardio (treadmill, elliptical) and while they are more loose than yoga pants they do not bag, sag, or are oversized. The point with all these pants are that they don’t restrict at the waist. Since the girl hurt her back, I can see why a doctor wouldn’t want to restrict her movement because of tighter fitting clothes…especially if she’s wearing any type of apparatus.
Let ’em all get around the problem: BRING BACK SCHOOL UNIFORMS FOR EVERYONE! Including Wagner! But make them in school colors, of course. We shouldn’t be disrespectful to our school, you know.
Now everybody’s happy (well, except someone with a back injury — but, look, Lakewood has so much money allocated to the school system now, that they can EASILY make a rule for SEVERAL kinds of uniforms: some that are just a little looser for emergency situations and still “acceptable” to the people in charge). Now let’s get back to studying, all right?
Yes, by all mans halt the high school girl from wearing sweat pants, thus providing a valuable lesson on all the Rulebook Boy tight-asses she’ll be forced to endure in authority positions for the rest of her life. William Wagner, Crown Prince of the Sphincter People
I’m thinking that watchamacalic is probably Dr. Wagner or his wife attacking a poor girl who was in a horrible accident—how low and disgusting can someone get?? It’s bad enough that poor Stephanie has to endure the pain, and then be refused to be allowed to wear sweatpants (geez, when I went to LHS we were allowed to wear sweats) but to have some idiot like watchamacalic come on here and try to smear this poor girl and her family is sickening!
I’m sure glad I moved my family out of Lakewood, it’s obviously not the school it used to be!
IVE BEEN IN THE LAKEWOOD CITY SCHOOL FOR 5 YEARS AND THESE HAVE BEEEN THE RULES IM GOING INTO MY 3RD YEAR AT LHS TOMMORROW AND IVE SEEN ALL THE LHS STUDENTS AND I THINK UNLESS IT CHANGE THAT THAT IF YOU WERE HURT OR DISABLE YOU WERE ALOUD TO WEAR SWEATS PANTS.
BUT I DONT THINK YOU SHOULD TALK BAD ABOT THE PRICEAPAL. WILL WAGER, BILL WAGER, DR. WAGER WHATEVER YOU CALL HIM WAS PRINCAPAL OF THE YEAR LAST YEAR AND DOSE NOT DERSVERE TO BE CALLED NAMES OR TALK BAD ABOUT.