A school superintendent in New Jersey said a “misunderstanding” led an elementary school teacher to mandate that all students — including young boys — dress as women in a now-canceled fashion show to honor Women’s History Month, FOXNews.com reported Tuesday.
“I wish the letter had been clearer and had been worded differently,” Maple Shade Township School Superintendent Michael Livengood told FoxNews.com, referring to a letter sent home to the children’s parents last week informing them of the assignment. “But it was a misunderstanding. It was meant to demonstrate students’ awareness in women’s roles, and along with that, their changes in fashion over time.”
In a 16-page packet sent home with students of Maude Wilkins Elementary School, teacher Tonya Uibel alerted parents that all students in her third grade class would have to participate in the activity, which had been scheduled for Friday, since it would be graded as an “end of unit” assignment.
“If your child is a young man, he does not have to wear a dress or skirt, as there are many time periods where women wore jeans, pants and trousers,” Uibel wrote. “However, each child must be able to express what time period their outfit is from. Most of all, your child should have fun creating their outfit and learning about how women’s clothing has changed!”
Livengood said students will now be asked to a draw a picture of a person dressed in clothing from a specific time period as the lesson plan’s culminating project.
He said the school’s principal, Beth Narcia, had not received “one single” complaint pertaining to the event from parents. But one parent told FoxNews.com she contacted Uibel directly after her nine-year-old son came home “in tears” after getting the assignment.
In a letter dated Monday, Narcia informed parents that the show, which was to be videotaped, had been canceled. She apologized for “any confusion or frustration” the assignment may have caused.
“I wanted to clear up any misconceptions about the clothing show,” the principal wrote. “It was never our intention to have boys dress up as women. There are many different time periods that had women and men dressing in pants, suits, and even sweat suits. Students were just asked to dress as a time period, not as a woman.”
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