Six Shelton High School students’ prom gowns have been rejected amid a prom dress code crackdown at the school.
The prom is on Saturday and Dr. Beth Smith, the school's headmaster, announced over the intercom last Friday that backless dresses and those with slits or cutouts wouldn't be allowed at prom this coming weekend.
Then, a committee made up of seven female staff members reviewed more than 150 dresses and determined that six are inappropriate. Earlier this week, seven dresses had been deemed inappropriate. [[303287481,C]]
School officials had been contacting the students whose dresses were under review and two of the girls whose dresses were flagged previously told officials they arranged for different dresses, while another student planned to have a tailor add more material to fit the criteria.
Earlier this week, students and parents said the crackdown comes too late because prom is days away and they've already spent money on their dresses.
Supt. Freeman Burr said the student handbook, which all students receive at the beginning of the school year, outlines the guidelines for appropriate dress.
"Those guidelines were announced over the PA system, again, last Friday following concerns raised by some faculty and staff, and even some of our male students, who had some serious concerns about some of the prom dresses that were being shown," Burr said.
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He went on to say school officials understand that prom attire differs from school attire, but administrators want only prom attire that is considered appropriate.
"We want all students attending the prom on Saturday evening to have a memorable night," Burr said. "We know that all of our students want a great prom. We want all of our young female students to be dressed beautifully. Obviously, we want them to enjoy themselves. However, we also want them to be dressed appropriately – appropriately with class and dignity, and also dressed in a tasteful way."
A statement from a representative of the school said 549 students will be attending the junior, senior prom on Saturday at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford.
