An Arizona father made a bold statement as he protested a school board’s decision to relax the dress code for children by dramatically stripping down to a crop top and Daisy Dukes in front of stunned attendees.
Ira Latham, 39, shocked attendees at the Higley Unified School District meeting in Gilbert, Arizona by stripping naked at the podium.
The father of four said he wanted to make a strong argument against the school’s new dress code, which was more lenient and tolerated anything that did not expose the student’s underwear.
To do so, he took off his shirt to reveal a black crop top that was more than a few sizes too small for him, as well as a pair of Daisy Dukes that left little to the imagination. He said he bought the risqué ensemble at a thrift store.
Latham has three sons in 7th, 5th and 4th grades and a daughter in 2nd grade. He said, “The dress code they wanted to follow is basically just the dress code for a public swimming pool. “Make sure kids cover their underwear and that’s about it,” Latham told NBC.
Ira Latham, 39, shocked attendees at the Higley Unified School District meeting in Gilbert, Arizona by stripping naked at the podium
The father-of-four said he wanted to make a strong case for the school’s dress code – and did so by removing his shirt to reveal a black crop top that was more than a few sizes too small for him and one Pair of Daisy Dukes that leave little to the imagination
He said: “The dress code they wanted to follow is basically just the dress code for a public swimming pool.” Make sure children cover their underwear and that’s about it.
He found the dress code to be problematic because it was primarily about ensuring that underwear was not visible.
Prior to the clothing policy update, students were not permitted to expose their chest, stomach, or waist. However, the new dress code only limits students to exposing their underwear.
He said: “As a father, I am very concerned about my children and the children of everyone else in the district, I wanted to make a clear argument.”
Despite Latham’s courageous protest, the board voted 3-2 in favor of the more relaxed dress code.
The concerned father said, “It will be distracting in the classroom and there will be some parents who want to take their children out of the district,” although he did not specify who he thought would be distracted by the students’ decision to carry.
One X user said: “Leave teenage girls alone, Ira Latham!” How embarrassing for you. These measures are aimed not only at girls, but also at certain body types and races.”
Dress code guidelines typically target girls’ clothing and rely on not “sexualizing” girls through their clothing. This disparity between expectations of school-appropriate clothing for girls and boys raises the question of why school-age girls are sexualized and by whom they are sexualized.
The concerned father said: “It will be distracting in the classroom and there will be some parents who want to take their children out of the district.”
Latham’s wife shared a post on Facebook to express her support for her husband’s courageous feat
Parents at an Illinois high school were outraged in 2019 after dozens of students were told they had violated their school’s dress code by exposing their shoulders.
Numerous girls at Glenbard East High School in Lombard, Illinois, were reportedly ordered to wear school-provided T-shirts after a dean claimed they showed too much skin.
“I was told to cover up because the boys were looking at me,” student Chloe Lynch told Fox 5.
“It was very inappropriate, it made the students uncomfortable, it made them feel like they were being sexualized and I think that was wrong,” one mother said.
Isabella Villegas, 18, of Kansas, was angry after her 13-year-old sister Grace said she received negative comments from teachers for wearing an off-the-shoulder shirt to school.
The high school senior had made a T-shirt for her seventh-grade sister to wear if she was ever reprimanded for her outfits again.
The custom-made t-shirt read: “Dress code: promotes the objectification and sexualization of young bodies, blames the wearer for the viewer’s perceptions/actions, perpetuates rape culture, is bullshit.” [sic].’
Despite Latham’s courageous protest, the board voted 3-2 in favor of the more relaxed dress code
After Latham’s protest, Higley Unified School District board president Tiffany Schultz said, “I understand parents’ concerns.” Did the removal of clothing have any impact on me or the meeting? No, that wasn’t the case.
“He gave his statement and we went on with our business.” We heard from other speakers and moved on. As a board, we voted to ultimately let parents and families decide what is appropriate for them.
“It’s the decision of the parents and family and as long as it doesn’t disrupt everyday school life, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
She added: “We want teachers to teach and not have to waste time measuring a girl’s shirt or making a girl uncomfortable.”
Latham said in a Facebook post: “I made my most reasonable argument against the dress code, but unfortunately my attempt failed to influence the outcome.”
Latham shared a post with his Facebook friends that said, “Let me give a little backstory to explain my new wardrobe.” I recently had the opportunity to speak at the Higley Unified School District board meeting where significant changes were made to the dress code.
“The new policy is quite minimalistic and is more similar to a public swimming pool dress code than one suitable for an educational setting.”
“The main focus is preventing exposure to underwear and banning see-through clothing.”
He continued: “The majority of parents in the audience expressed their opposition, but unfortunately there was no attempt at compromise and the decision was made against our wishes, this time 3:2 in favor of the new dress code.”
“I made my most reasonable argument against the dress code, but unfortunately my attempt failed to influence the outcome.”