North Carolina Honor Roll Student Won't Graduate Because of Her Shirt

A blow-up between an over-the-top dress code and an honor roll student became a national story.

Here's some red meat for those of you looking to be outraged regardless of target, even if it's directed at some principal enforcing some stupid dress code in a town you've never heard of. 

Summer, who you can see in the embedded video above, is an about to graduate senior who holds a 4.4 grade point average. On Wednesday, the aforementioned principal of her school asked her to put on a jacket at lunchtime because she was wearing a shirt that showed the tops of her shoulders or something. Summer responded, saying that "I think my shirt is fine." But the principal, not having that because her entire back was exposed, made her put on a jacket. Her friend had one, lent it to her, and you'd think that'd be the end of it.

But you'd be wrong.

After she put the jacket on the principal still told her she'd have to go change in the control room. "I completely understand why a dress code is put into place but I feel like after I put on that jacket it should have been subdued," she said, according to NBC.

She also says that she has had some past issues with the principal over her four-year high school career (we'd love details on what that means). It apparently escalated to the point that her mom was to be called before any potential disciplinary issues. Sounds like we're missing something here.

Because of the mother-calling guideline, Summer remained seated after her principal made the control room request. "They can't take me anywhere unless my mother is called," she said. "So I said 'I apologize, I can't go anywhere with you unless my mom is called." Neither party was able to reach the mother, and so Summer went on her way to the auditorium, which seems ill-advised. Soon afterward the principal entered with a student resource officer. Summer explains what happened next.

"[The SRO] was within five feet of me, he had his hand on his gun. [The principal] said 'I'm gonna give you an ultimatum. We have tried to call your mother. You either come with me to the control room to change your shirt or we will arrest you," she said. Summer chose to remain seated, and though the principal asked the officer to arrest her, which also seems really ill-advised, the mom called back before she could.

From there she went to the control room, where she was issued a 10-day suspension. Furthermore she was told she wouldn't be allowed to attend any senior activities, which would include graduation. As she explains it, "It's just sad because I worked so hard for four years to walk across that stage. We have drug dealers walking across that stage, we have sex offenders walking across that stage and then the 4.4 student who showed her shoulders can't." Would love some details there too.

The principal is considering expulsion. This story quickly going national may either scare him away from doing that, or strengthen his resolve to appear tough—who knows? The official reason for the harsh penalty is "insubordination." For context, earlier this year 45 students at the school were sent to the principal's office for donning either leggings or shirts that were considered too small.

Summer currently holds a full-ride scholarship offer to a four-year university. Additionally, her side of the story was backed by crazy people who put their anger into letters to the principal. Lets hope they didn't actually send them, because it doesn't seem like a lot of these are going to help her situation a whole lot:

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