Cantonment is a small, old-fashioned town in Florida where people all know each other. On a March day in 2021, the town became the center of attention in the world of cybersecurity. A squad of police stealthily gathered around a modest home, and when everything was in place, they called to the suspected criminals inside. The police, wearing SWAT equipment, were prepared for anything. An implausible pair appeared at the door and surrendered.
The two were Emily Grover, who at 17 years old was one of the most popular students at local Tate High School, and her mother, named Laura Carroll, who was 50 and an elementary school vice-principal. The two were put under arrest. Carroll was taken for processing at the county jail, and Emily was brought to a local juvenile detention center. The two claimed to have no idea what was going on. The police thought differently.
The two were Emily Grover, who at 17 years old was one of the most popular students at local Tate High School, and her mother, named Laura Carroll, who was 50 and an elementary school vice-principal. The two were put under arrest. Carroll was taken for processing at the county jail, and Emily was brought to a local juvenile detention center. The two claimed to have no idea what was going on. The police thought differently.
Two Very Different Points of View
Those who knew Emily Grover thought the world of her. She was a straight-A student and talented tennis player who was appreciated by teachers, friends, and family. As a child, she had been diagnosed with ADHD, but she persevered to become a leader in her class. She had made a mistake, they all said, a technical error, and she certainly didn’t mean any harm. They didn’t understand why the police were making an example of her.
The police, for their part, considered Grover and her mother to be complete villains. They accused the mother-daughter pair of undermining the history and tradition of homecoming. The police also said the two had scared parents at the high school and created a substantial security threat for hundreds of people in the Cantonment community. The opinions of the pair went from one extreme to the other, with not much room in between.
Something Was Fishy With the Voting
During the campaign for homecoming queen, no one suspected anything. Everything was going as usual. Teacher Caroline Gray, who was the supervisor of the student council, first noticed that something was amiss on October 30, 2020, the day that the results came in and Grover was crowned homecoming queen. Gray noticed that the application they were using to tally the vote flagged every vote as false.
Gray was a popular teacher, and she knew Grover and had a good relationship with her. At first, she didn’t suspect anything dishonorable. But she was suspicious about the false votes in favor of Grover. She decided to do a little investigating. She started by asking a handful of students about their votes. If she could verify that a few random votes that had been flagged were indeed legitimate, that would assuage her fears. She asked three or four students if they had already voted.
The Results Weren’t Encouraging
Teacher Caroline Gray, in charge of the homecoming voting, approached a few students and asked them about their votes. To Gray’s surprise, the students informed her that they had not voted yet. Moreover, some of them said that the app they used for voting had told them that they had already voted, even though they had not. Gray didn’t know what was going on, but she knew something was wrong.
Caroline Gray brought the information directly to Malcolm Thomas, the school superintendent. He initially dismissed Gray’s concerns and decided to award the title to Emily Grover anyway. He said there had been glitches in the app in the past, and that this was probably another example of that. Thomas also knew that the homecoming ceremony was scheduled for that evening, everyone had already made their plans to attend, and it would create a crisis if they were to cancel it.
For a Moment, Emily Was on Top of the World
The ceremony went on that night as scheduled. Emily Grover got all dressed up in a beautiful outfit and got her hair done. She smiled for the cameras and held up a giant bouquet of red roses as she was announced as the homecoming queen. It was a very special night for her. After all those years of being an outcast, of persevering through illness, of working hard to maintain straight As, and of making sacrifices to increase her popularity, it had all paid off.
She was the Tate High School homecoming queen, at long last. She basked in her moment in the spotlight and enjoyed every minute of it. Her father, known to everyone as Bubba Grover, offered Emily his arm. She took it, and he escorted her across the football field to the stage at the front. Her teachers and peers applauded and cheered from the stands.
Back to the Beginning
The Grover family had moved to the small town of Cantonment, Florida just in time for Emily’s freshman year in high school. Most of the students in her incoming high school class had gone to elementary and middle school together; they all knew each other. Emily was new, and it was a difficult adjustment for her. She didn’t know anyone at first, and her classmates were all friends with each other.
Emily found herself in high school having no friends. High school can be a difficult time for many, especially without friends. Later, Emily would say, “a lot of the girls didn’t like me because I was new.” But she worked hard to get along with everyone. She was a good student, and her classmates started asking her for help. She was also a star athlete, which helped her become more popular. By her senior year, she finally felt accepted.
Homecoming Was a Big Deal in This Town
Like many towns in America, homecoming was a very important annual occasion. Not much was going on in Cantonment, so everyone paid close attention to the annual ceremony. Some years, the race for homecoming queen was controversial. The north side of the town was much wealthier, and there was sometimes a clash between the richer living in the north and the working-class people who lived in the south.
Each year, there would be an article in the town newspaper, and the homecoming queen was treated like a celebrity. This is exactly what Emily Grover needed and wanted. She wanted the crown and the glory. She thought that would be the thing to finally put her in the popular crowd. Then, everyone in town would know who she was. Ironically, the town very quickly came to know Emily, but not in the way she had hoped.
Out of Focus
Escambia County, where Cantonment is located, used a computer software system to handle many aspects of running a large school district. The system was called FOCUS, and only insiders really knew about it. FOCUS was used to keep track of grades, disciplinary reports, and attendance for the district’s students. The day after Emily was crowned homecoming queen, an anonymous caller phoned the fraud and abuse hotline about Escambia County.
The caller reported that Emily had somehow hacked the system in order to rig the election in her favor. They didn’t leave any more details, and at first, the authorities didn’t know what to do. When you got right down to it, the election that chose homecoming queen was basically a popularity contest. For Emily, it was vindication, but not everyone was happy with the results. Was the call just from a disgruntled parent? Or did they really know something?
Not the School She Worked At
The anonymous tip that claimed that Emily and her mother had somehow hacked the school’s computer network in order to fix the election for homecoming queen in Emily’s favor was sent to district investigator Gary Marsh. When he looked into the case, he was surprised at what he found. He discovered that Emily’s mother, Laura Carroll, had viewed many student accounts over the last year. She had logged into the computer files of 372 different students during that time.
Carroll was a vice principal in the district, so at first, that really didn’t seem all that unusual. She often had to look at her students’ accounts. There was only one problem. Carroll was the vice principal of an elementary school. All 372 accounts she looked at were students who attended Tate High School. There was simply no legitimate reason for Carroll to be looking at those accounts.
Deny Until You Die
Escambia school district investigator Gary Marsh knew he had to talk to Laura Carroll and get to the bottom of the situation. Carroll knew who Marsh was. He had a reputation for being intimidating, and Carroll didn’t want to talk to him. At first, she denied everything. She had no idea what he was talking about. Marsh turned to Brian Johnson, who was the school district’s computer security manager, to verify the information.
Johnson assured him that someone had definitely accessed hundreds of Tate High School students’ private information using Laura Carroll’s FOCUS account. Marsh went back to Carroll and confronted her again. This time, she claimed that she had given access to her account to her daughter Emily because Emily had forgotten her password. When Marsh asked Carroll why so many other students’ accounts had been accessed, she didn’t have an answer. Marsh decided to send his team to Tate.
Her Popularity Didn’t Last Long
Only a few days before, Emily Grover had been crowned as homecoming queen, and was, finally, one of the most popular girls at school. But when investigators began asking her classmates about her, rumors started to quickly circulate. Her friends reported that Emily would frequently boast about using her mom’s account to check her own grades and test results. Emily would also check her friends’ grades whenever they asked.
Classmates also said that Emily had offered to help her friends win the senior superlatives. Still, no one had direct proof that she had rigged the election. Emily, for her part, seemed stunned at the accusation. They were going to have to find more direct evidence if they wanted to be sure that Emily and her mom were guilty of the transgression of which they had been accused.
It Was Time to Bring In the Police
School Investigator Gary Marsh knew he could go no further on his own. He decided to call the computer crimes unit of Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement. They put him in touch with a special agent named Stephanie Cassidy, and she took the case very seriously. Her job was to prosecute offenders who commit crimes involving computers and the internet, and her unit was very sensitive to election fraud on any level. Special Agent Cassidy obtained subpoenas granting her access to Laura Carroll’s phone and computer.
Before long, Special Agent Cassidy discovered that 124 votes for homecoming queen had originated from the same IP address; it was the IP address that corresponded to Carroll’s cell phone. A further 122 votes had come from the IP address associated with Carroll’s home computer. Special Agent Cassidy went to talk to Carroll, but she was told that Carroll had already acquired an attorney.
The School Considers an Expulsion
Two months later, the school board held a meeting to decide what should happen to Emily. Regardless of any impending criminal charges, she had violated several rules and was subject to disciplinary action within the school itself. Emily was campaigning again, this time to stay in school. Before the meeting, she sent a gift box and a note to the new school superintendent, Timothy Smith. In the note, she apologized for going into other students’ accounts. She didn’t mention anything about the homecoming queen votes.
At the meeting, many teachers came to Emily’s defense. They said she was a good student and meant no harm. They vouched for her as a person. Her tennis coach described her as “likable, funny, athletic, a team player, and honest.” Then, her ADHD was mentioned as a possible reason for her actions, which they called a momentary lapse of judgment.
Maybe It Was the Condition
Attention Deficit hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a chronic condition that affects millions of children in the US. It is characterized by an inability to pay attention for very long, punctuated with episodes of hyperactivity. While most children who are diagnosed with ADHD respond well to treatment, it remains a constant problem for them. Many people grow out of it when they reach adulthood, but it’s practically epidemic in schools.
At the school board meeting, her ADHD was brought up as a mitigating factor. One counselor said that it was possible that an attack of hyperactivity drove her to hack the accounts. She wouldn’t have been able to stop herself, the counselor said. “One component of ADD is an inability to appreciate the consequences of certain behavior,” was the way they put it. Many people just couldn’t believe Emily would do something like that.
The School Board Comes to a Decision
Despite the fact that many teachers came to speak on behalf of Emily, there was a lot of pressure from parents against her. Online privacy had become a huge issue, and the parents were appalled that their children’s private information could be obtained so easily. They were angry at the school system for having such lax security, and, in turn, the school had to blame someone. So it was decided that Emily Grover was to be expelled from Tate High School, effective immediately.
The school board was not unsympathetic, saying, “Emily appears remorseful and is clearly a very bright student, but she caused a major disruption”. The school board also decided that Emily’s mom, Laura Carroll, was to be fired from her job as assistant principal of the elementary school. She had knowingly given Emily access to private accounts, and that was unacceptable. But their problems were just beginning.
Their Legal Problems Began Next
For Emily, the worst thing had happened. Getting kicked out of school and being banned from graduation, was the worst nightmare she could think of. She became a pariah; more unpopular than ever. After going from a nobody to a homecoming queen, she was devastated by this turn of events. Carroll, who had lost her job, found herself at 50 years old, out of a career. After this, she wouldn’t be able to work in any school district in the country.
The pair maintained their innocence. Carroll definitely stated, “They expected us to say we did it, but we didn’t.” The two also continued to refuse to talk to the police, always deferring to their lawyer, Randy Etheridge. Etheridge made public statements accusing the police of a vendetta. That further angered the police, who continued their investigation. The two women could feel the walls closing in on them.
Charges Are Filed, Arrests Are Made
The women’s lawyer, Randy Etheridge, couldn’t believe the police were still interested in the pair. Etheridge insisted that the heavy punishment laid down by the school board was definitely enough. After all, both of their lives were essentially ruined, at least for the moment. But then, Etheridge heard that the police were still investigating and that they were close to making an arrest.
Etheridge made a call to Special Agent Cassidy and asked her if an arrest warrant was imminent. If it was, Etheridge told Cassidy, the pair wanted to turn themselves in. Cassidy said nothing. A few minutes later, a squadron of police cars arrived at Carroll’s home. Etheridge later described his disgust by saying, “Police acted like they were freaking Al Capone”. The two were arrested and put in handcuffs. They were charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor each. To many, it was way too much.
Their Story Hit the National News
When their arrest became public knowledge, it created a great deal of interest. It was even picked up by national news networks as an example of public corruption and the dangers of putting information on the internet. The news was making headlines, and many people took it as an opportunity to read their names in the papers. Some of their neighbors said some terrible things. A typical quote from them around this time was, “I am livid that Carroll gave her snot-nosed daughter access to MY child’s records.”
As happens in these cases, the story became more and more exaggerated. Parents began talking about them as if they were the worst cybercriminals in history. They compared the act to stealing someone’s health information, and called it a HIPAA violation, even though it obviously wasn’t. They began to receive threats, and soon, neither Emily nor Laura Carroll could leave their house.
The Pair Pleads Not Guilty
The case against them moved forward. Emily Grover was only 17 when the alleged crimes were committed, but by the time they arrested her, she had turned 18. They decided they would charge her as an adult, even though technically she was still a minor when the hacking supposedly took place. They said the juvenile justice system couldn’t hold her or even keep track of her now that she was 18, so it was up to the adult criminal justice system.
Emily’s lawyers didn’t think that was fair, but there was nothing they could do. She’d be tried in regular court. She was arraigned for the charges and pled not guilty to everything. At that point, the trial entered the discovery phase, in which the prosecution had to show all the evidence they had to the defense team. In the US, all benefit of the doubt goes to the defendant.
Was Their Crime Even Technically Possible?
The defense learned that the bulk of the prosecution’s case was to be found in the forensic computer evidence. In reviewing the evidence against the pair, their lawyer, Randy Etheridge, made an important discovery. Etheridge brought in their own computer expert to examine the evidence, and that person reported that all 124 votes that were linked to Carroll’s cell phone had been cast in a 20-minute time frame.
The computer expert said it would have been impossible for any living human being to cast that many votes using the phone app in such a short span of time. Etheridge argued that there must be some kind of bug or glitch in the system, or that someone had used sophisticated software to automatically cast a large number of votes quickly. Etheridge argued that Grover and Carroll simply didn’t have those kinds of computer skills. It couldn’t have been them.
They Were Urged to Take a Plea
Even though Etheridge was convinced of their innocence, there was no corroborating evidence, and Etheridge worried that the prosecution was trying to make an example out of them. Etheridge told Grover and Carroll that they should take the plea agreements. It would amount to a slap on the wrist, and if they went to trial and were found guilty, the consequences could be much more severe. Meanwhile, the case was making national news.
On ABC, Dan Abrams, their chief legal analyst, said that he believed that prosecutors were overcharging the case in order to force the pair into taking a plea agreement. According to Abrams, the prosecutors were making a statement, which was, “We’re going to force you to admit responsibility for this, and as a result, we’re going to throw everything at you.” But the women continued to assert their innocence and refused to take a deal.
The Yearbook Did Her Wrong
Emily Grover had become a pariah at school. She would not be allowed to graduate, so the yearbook committee was instructed to remove her from that year’s yearbook. However, the yearbook’s pages had all been laid out. Instead of simply taking her picture out, the yearbook editor, named Samantha Guerrier, decided to put a picture of the rear end of a bucking horse over Emily’s face before sending it to the printer.
The book was printed with a picture of a horse’s ass where Emily’s face should have been, and sent to all of Emily’s classmates. When asked about it, Guerrier said it must have been an accident, and that she didn’t intend for the yearbook to be published that way. School authorities granted Guerrier lenience that they had not afforded Emily Grover. Samantha Guerrier was invited to participate in the graduation ceremony, but Emily Grover was not.
Ironically, the Extra Votes Didn’t Matter
It’s now been more than a year since the alleged hacking. Interestingly, a close look at court documents reveals that even without the allegedly hacked votes, Emily Grover had a comfortable margin in the election, and would have been the winner of homecoming queen anyway. Her class’s graduation went on as scheduled, without Emily. At Tate, they had a tradition where the outgoing homecoming queen handed the crown to the new queen. That year, they broke that tradition.
Carroll and Grover never did accept a plea, and a trial is scheduled to take place sometime this year. The defense might ask for a delay, however, as they continue to search for evidence that would exonerate the two. Even if they didn’t hack any votes, they did commit crimes by logging into other people’s accounts without their permission. But any punishment for that would be minor compared to rigging votes.
Opinions Are Like Belly Buttons
After ignoring the media for months, and having public opinion turn against them, Emily and Carroll decided to do a series of television news interviews in order to tell their side of the story. Perhaps their most-watched interview was when they appeared on Good Morning America. The interview went viral on the internet, and there were thousands of comments by keyboard warriors who suddenly had an opinion. Carroll tried not to read them, but they still upset her.
Many people blamed Carroll more than her daughter. She said, “So many people said, ‘She’ll let the kid take the rap’ or ‘The kid will get off.’ Everybody’s got their predictions.” Most people seemed to think they were guilty. One big reason was Emily’s body language during the interview. She was smiling at times, and then would break out into big, dramatic tears. Everyone thought she was putting on a show.
What Happens Next?
The trial of Emily Grover and Laura Carroll hasn’t started yet. If the pair are convicted, they could face up to 16 years in jail. Although public opinion is generally against them, some people are starting to change their minds. If they are refusing to take a deal and are risking so much jail time, they must truly be innocent. Even if they are guilty, 16 years seems a tad excessive.
In fact, there are people who attack cops who only get five years. Grover’s maximum sentence of 16 years is longer than ransom hackers get, and ransom hackers can cause far more damage to society than messing with a homecoming election ever could. There really were no victims in this case; even without the extra votes, Emily would have handily won. Interested parties will be paying close attention to how this one turns out.
Her Father Stepped In After She Was Harassed By School Officials
When Tony Alarcon heard the phone ringing in the middle of the day, he initially thought nothing of it. Calls from telemarketers or robocalls tend to happen around this time. After answering the call, he was shocked to hear the voice of the principal of his daughter’s school. It's not very common when the principal calls home. Tony had no clue what he was about to hear from the principal. Was there an emergency? Were his children safe? When he found out what the real reason was for being called in he couldn’t believe his ears. He had to do something about it.
Nothing was out of the ordinary on that hot summer’s day when Tony Alarcon dropped his daughter, Demetra, off at school. It was 90 degrees out, which is not uncommon weather for Southern California. Demetra chose to wear an outfit that would keep her comfortable for the long day at school. Students know to wear something that will keep them cool throughout the day during the summer months. What neither Tony nor Demetra knew was that this simple attempt to keep cool would spiral into a long battle over the appropriateness of the outfit.
No School Uniform Policy
Not unlike many California schools, Raymond J. Fisher located in Los Gatos, CA is a middle-school that has no specific school uniform requirement. The students are allowed to wear everyday clothes to school. This gives students the ability to express their creativity and individuality as well as build confidence because they take pride in their style. However, to ensure students don't go overboard, they do have some rules regarding what they’re allowed to wear and what they’re not. These rules are explained to students in the Student Handbook.
These handbooks are commonly handed out to middle-school students across California during orientation the summer before their first year of middle school starts. Often, these rules are occasionally reiterated verbally by teachers and over the daily announcements. This is usually done in the spring and summer months to remind students that the dress code is still in effect even if the weather has changed.
Protective Dad
As a successful real estate agent and investment banker, Tony Alarcon is used to fighting for what is right. He doesn’t take injustice lying down but instead confronts it head-on. This is especially the case when it comes to protecting his daughter Demetra. After hearing about Demetra's dress code violation, he did not take it lightly. As a protective dad, he would have surely noticed if the outfit was inappropriate for a middle school student to wear.
Yet, when Demetra walked out of the door and sat in his car that morning, he saw nothing wrong with the outfit. Was his daughter being unfairly singled out or was there validity to the school's claims? Tony believed that the truth was the former. So he set out on a journey to get to the bottom of the school's claims that the outfit was indecent for the school environment.
Was He Overreacting?
Demetra felt so embarrassed that day when she was singled out in class. In general, female students are much more likely to get dress code violations than their male counterparts. So realistically, she wasn’t the first girl to ever be reprimanded in front of the class but it was mortifying nonetheless. She couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. The blue romper was by far not revealing. It was not uncommon to see similar outfits worn by girls of a similar age to Demetra.
So why was Demetra's outfit a problem all of a sudden? Demetra would have had to know the dress code seeing as she had been attending the school for a while at this point. It's unlikely that Demetra would purposely ignore the dress code and wear something that would get her embarrassed in front of the class when the teacher saw the outfit.
The Supposed Inappropriate Outfit
She had no idea that wearing that blue romper would get her into trouble. The blur romper had short sleeves but the top portion was not lowcut. The only part of her upper body that was revealed was her arms. The lower portion was no different. Although the romper had shorts on the bottom, they were not so short as to be revealing. There was nothing wrong with her outfit as far as she was concerned.
As mentioned before, her protective dad Tony had dropped her off that morning and he didn’t think so either. There is no way an inappropriate outfit would have gotten past the radar of Tony Alarcon. Despite all of this, the school still believed the outfit to be inappropriate for the classroom. Naturally, there was no way for Demetra or her father to know how the situation would progress from here.
The Beginning Of A Huge Clash
Demetra could not believe all the fuss that her blue romper was causing. She had not done anything wrong. All she had done was choose an outfit that would be comfortable and keep her cool on a sweltering hot day in California. It is not uncommon for summer days in Southern California to reach into the 80s or 90s in temperature. Demetra just wanted to ensure that she could comfortably enjoy her day at school as she always did.
Unfortunately, that one small decision led to a much bigger battle taking place. If she had known all that would transpire beforehand then she would have never chosen to wear that particular outfit on the fateful day. It was too late now and the damage was already done. She never expected that her choice would result in a clash between her father and the school.
Why All The Fuss?
Demetra’s choice of outfit became the topic of conversation overnight. And soon enough the media got involved and there was a public outcry. The situation had completely spiraled out of control. Demetra, nor Tony, ever expected for the situation to get this big and out of control.
After the pictures of the blue romper made its rounds on the media, many people seemed to be just as confused as the Alarcons were. How was her outfit any different from what other girls her age wore to school?
An Unforeseen Outcome
Demetra didn’t expect that there would be yet another outcome over her outfit. It was even worse than what she’d expected though. She never wished to attract attention from the media or the public at large. The public felt sympathetic towards Demetra. Who could blame her for wearing a comfortable romper on such a hot day in Los Gatos?
They had lived in California and they know just how hot it gets. On top of that, Demetra might have to be outside for some portions of the day like lunch or during P.E. classes.
Unnecessary Humiliation
On that hot day, Demetra was in her first period of the day when the teacher decided to call her out in front of the whole class. He was the one to point out that her romper was not appropriate attire for school. This was very embarrassing for Demetra. The teacher could have at least pulled her aside and addressed the outfit if he thought it was inappropriate.
Instead, he brought it up in a way that ensured that students who may not have even given a second thought to her outfit were now fully aware of it.
The Principal Gets Involved
Adding insult to injury, the teacher decided that she needed to go to the principal’s office. Going to the principal's office is the biggest amount of trouble that a student could get in. The principal's involvement upped the ante for Demetra. Demetra was now being given this punishment for something she never intended to cause trouble.
Upon taking one glance at Demetra, the principal called her dad and explained that there had been a situation involving his daughter. That was a call he would later regret.
A Choice Had To Be Made
The principal explained to Tony that Demetra’s outfit was inappropriate and he had a choice to make. He could either bring her a change of clothes or fetch her from school immediately. He was shocked to be receiving this call. The protocol for many other Southern California schools is to give a warning for the first dress code violation.t.
If the violation is particularly bad, they might be sent to borrow a change of clothes, usually a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Going to the principal's office is usually only a last resort
Going Along At First
Tony initially decided to go along with the principal's requests. He opted to bring Demetra a change of clothes as opposed to picking her up and making her miss the entire day of school over an outfit. As a young girl, her education was of utmost importance and no outfit should compromise it.
So after receiving the call, he went through her drawers and found what he thought was appropriate. It was a pair of denim shorts and a plain, pink tank top. An outfit that Tony believed was both comfortable and appropriate as school attire.
The Battle Is Not Over
When Demetra's dad, Tony finally arrived at the school he handed her the new outfit. So Demetra went to the restroom to change her clothes. Once she’d changed into the new outfit, she went back to the office where her dad and the administrator were waiting for her. She and her dad though everything was alright at this point.
Unfortunately, the administrator took one look at her new outfit and decided that it was still inappropriate. At this stage, Tony was quite agitated. He had driven all the way to the school for nothing.
What Exactly Was The Problem?
Tony was fuming at this point. One of the main problems is that the administration had never explained exactly what was wrong with either outfit to neither Demetra, not Tony. So Tony asked the school’s administrator to explain what the problem was with the new outfit.
He even made Demetra bend down to show them how her shorts covered her adequately. The shorts covered her adequately but there was still a problem with them in the administrator's eyes. Tony knew that he had to get to the bottom of this.
Protecting His Daughter At All Costs
He just knew that there was more to the story than what they were telling him. He wouldn’t stop until they told him the truth. He would not stand for Demetra being embarrassed and unfairly punished for this. He wanted to get to the bottom of this order so Demetra could put it behind her and ultimately get back to class.
Every moment spent in the office was a moment of her missing class. He wanted it completely explained why they singled Demetra out. Tony had his suspicions but thought that it couldn’t possibly be.
An Answer He Wasn’t Satisfied With
The explanation was that the dress code violation was more about length than modesty. The administrator further explained that the romper and the denim shorts that Demetra wore didn’t pass their “fingertip test.” The fingertip test is when a student stands up completely straight and puts their straightened arms at their sides as naturally as they can.
The fabric of the shorts must be equal to or longer than the student's fingertips. This is a common test a middle schools in Southern California. But Tony sensed that it wasn’t the real reason.
Angrier By The Minute
Tony was becoming angrier by the minute after hearing the “fingertip test” story. He’d seen other students in Demetra’s class wearing similar outfits to her when he dropped her off at school that morning. Why was she the only one singled out? Tony probably wouldn't have been as mad if Demetra wasn't the only student who had gotten in trouble for a dress code violation.
If there is a dress code then it should be enforced for every student at school. This furthered his suspicions that Demetra was just being unfairly singled out for some reason.
Fingertip Test Demonstration
To return to the topic of the fingertip test, the pupil must place her arms on her sides and if her pants are above her fingertips then it’s too short. So Demetra performed the fingertip test and hers was just barely above. This meant that the outfit was technically too short according to the dress code.
Tony was not going to accept this. Her fingertips were still only a little below the fabric so it should not be a big deal. More importantly, the shorts were still fully covering Demetra so the fingertip test should be irrelevant.
The Truth Finally Comes Out
After much back and forth between Tony and the administrator, the administrator eventually confessed to the real reason Demetra was singled out. The administrator confirmed that the reason Demetra was singled out was because of the boys in her class. It had nothing to do with the fingertip test or the dress code in question.
In an attempt to process what the administrator had just said, Tony asked her to repeat herself. Tony was shocked at the new revelation. He couldn't believe his ears. He didn't want to believe this but it was the truth.
Regret Set In
The administrator immediately regretted saying what she had said. However, she knew it was much too late. Tony finally knew the truth and he was not going to take it lightly. The problem was not that Demetra was dressed immodestly, but that she was seen as a distraction to the boys in her class.
Demetra was getting in trouble for what other students were thinking about her. She should not be getting into trouble, they should be the ones being punished for being distracted. Demetra could not control how other people were going to react to her.
He Couldn’t Believe His Ears
As he sat across the table from the school principal, Tony couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The teacher and the principal had singled Demetra out and now he understood why. Demetra was being singled out through no fault of her own.
Had he not pried and demanded a reason, Demetra would have had to either changed her outfit or be sent home early and not get to go to classes for the day. Tony had had enough and was ready to fight this.
Using His Resources
At this point, Demetra was very upset and started to cry. Seeing his daughter so upset with tears in her eyes made Tony realize even more that he couldn’t let this go. What the administrator was saying about his little girl was completely unacceptable.
The situation as a whole was not okay and the school needed to learn a lesson. Tony decided that needed to use his resources to rectify the situation.
One Last Choice
The administrator was fed up. She felt that this was taking up way to much time out of her day. A simple dress code violation had turned into something much bigger. To end the conversation, the administrator gave them one last choice: either Demetra covered up her legs with leggings or she wouldn’t be allowed to go back to class.
This was completely unfair to Tony. He didn't feel like he was being compromised with or taken seriously by the administrator. Tony was about to show them exactly what he thought about this.
Unfair Discrimination
Demetra pointed out that the school dress code wasn’t enforced on the boys and this was discriminatory towards girls. There is a no-hats-in-class rule but the boys wear hats in a class all the time and nothing is done about it. This tends to be an issue at schools across the country. Girls tend to be disproportionately affected by the dress code rules.
Even in the rare instances when boys do get punished for dress code violations, their punishment tends to be much more lenient. Overall, the girl students tend to be subjected to much harsher punishment at school.
Even in the rare instances when boys do get punished for dress code violations, their punishment tends to be much more lenient. Overall, the girl students tend to be subjected to much harsher punishment at school.
Even in the rare instances when boys do get punished for dress code violations, their punishment tends to be much more lenient. Overall, the girl students tend to be subjected to much harsher punishment at school.
Many Other Offenders
Tony was trying to stay calm but it was becoming very difficult. He commented that he had seen many other students in the parking lot who were not following the rules either. So why were the girls the only ones picked on? The girls should not be subject to an unequally enforced dress code.
That was discrimination based on gender and not only completely unfair but outright illegal in the United States. Schools are not allowed to discriminate based on a multitude of characteristics but one of the main characteristics is gender.
Unaccommodating Rules
How could the school expect girls to wear leggings on such a hot day? Their rules should be more accommodating. Shorter and lighter clothing would help the pupils to be comfortable in the heat. But because of boys, Demetra had to suffer.
This was not fair to Demetra or the other girls at school. The rules were unfairly enforced and something had to be done to ensure that this could not go on anymore.
Many Pupils Agreed
Tony decided to ask Demetra’s friends what they thought about the dress code rules. Like many girls across the country, they all felt that it was unfair. The system was flawed and Demetra's case just highlighted exactly was wrong with it. The girls had to be uncomfortable in summer because the boys couldn’t control themselves.
This was not the girls' fault and they should not be punished for what the boys do. Unfortunately, the girls did not know what to do to make the system change. Luckily, they had Tony on their side.
Time To Involve The Media
Involving the media was Tony’s next course of action. He was angry. As a result, he wanted the world to know how unfair the school’s dress code was. In addition to that, he wanted everyone to know how the school had humiliated his teenaged daughter. Tony appeared on Today and other local news channels.
This opened up the dress code for discussion amongst adults in the community. It was no longer a conversation where the school told the students what to do and they followed. Now, other adults could give their input.
Parents’ Discretion
The media asked Tony what he proposes would be a solution to the current dress code situation. He stated that it should be solely up to the parents to decide whether what their child wears is appropriate or not. No respectable parent would purposely send their kid to school in something inappropriate.
A parent can make the judgment whether or not it is an acceptable outfit. Parents can also more thoroughly assess how the clothes fit on their child's particular body type to ensure the clothes are comfortable as well.
A Proposal
Tony proposed some changes be made to the school’s dress code. One being that underwear shouldn’t be visible. In addition to that, no midriffs should be showing and no shirts with spaghetti straps should be allowed.
This is similar to what many middle schools in Southern California already have in effect for their dress code. So naturally, many people found these parts to be generally agreeable. But he was just scratching the surface of a bigger issue.
Uncovering A Bigger Issue
Most people supported Tony in this endeavor but the issue of objectification and sexualization of young girls and body image was being uncovered. Some people believed that if teens were allowed to wear what they wanted it would create chaos in the school system. This is an often repeated issue when the dress code is brought up.
However, Tony's plan still involved having adults as part of the process. The goal was for parents to verify whether the outfit was appropriate or not. Even still, the school still had a dress code, it was just not as strict.
Addressing The Accusations
The school responded to Tony’s accusations of the unfair dress code by stating that the dress code was meant to establish guidelines. The school aimed to have “reasonable decorum” among their students. The school administration believed that there had to be some sort of rules regarding the dress code.
Just like some parents, the administration believed there would be chaos without some ground rules and expectations set forth for the students. Students need some level of structure so they know what to do. It seems this was not the only case involving unfair school dress code rules.