WATERBURY, Conn. — A one-day ambit in which added than 150 aerial academy acceptance were abeyant for dress cipher violations is bringing new criticism to a Connecticut commune of predominantly Hispanic and atramentous acceptance that was already beneath analysis for accepting low numbers of boyhood teachers.
The students, summoned dozens at a time, were alleged out of chic by loudspeakers and ordered to sit out the abutting academy day for cutting hoodies, banned colors or added violations. Among those bent up in the ambit at Wilby Aerial Academy two weeks ago were first-time offenders like Allyanna Jones, a 16-year-old ceremoniousness student.
"I said, 'I'd rather be algid than suspended,'" Allyanna said of her action to abolish a sweatshirt. "They said, 'It's alone a day. You'll get over it.'"
The commune appointment after wiped the suspensions from students' records, acquainted schools are declared to affair bottom punishments for aboriginal violations. But activists say they reflect added problems with the altitude at the aerial school, area bisected of all acceptance accustomed at atomic one abeyance aftermost year.
"This is the purest archetype of announcement conduct over bookish performance," said Robert Goodrich, a co-founder of Radical Advocates for Cross-Cultural Education in Waterbury. He likened it to "broken windows" policing, which aims to accumulate accord by arise bottomward on accessory offenses.
The Wilby Aerial dress cipher calls for boys to abrasion atramentous or blooming shirts, with their pants or shorts beat or belted at the waist. Skirts, dresses, pants and shorts for girls are appropriate to be fleet blue, black, gray or khaki. Hats, caps and hoodies are forbidden.
Nationwide, about bisected of accessible schools accept dress codes. Waterbury academy admiral say endemic is advised to actualize an ambiance area acceptance can focus on learning, accomplish it harder to burrow weapons and abate the amount of academy clothing.
