Acceptable behavior

The case of the girl who was barred from joining her classmates in St. Theresa’s College’s high school graduation rites tomorrow—pending a last minute decision by the school allowing her to do so—shares some similarities with the experience of Colorado high school student Sydney Spies.

Spies and her mother figured in a court case after a high school yearbook staff rejected the photos she submitted to them, claiming they were too racy. Rather than not posting a photo of her, the yearbook staff used her ID photo instead and insisted they cannot use her submitted photos because they don’t want to run “something unprofessional.”

The similarities end there. For one, Sydney and her mother consciously made the decision to submit her photos which they insist were done in good taste—even if Sydney posed in clothing worn by models in adult men’s and model magazines.

The girl in question was barred by St. Theresa’s College school authorities from joining tomorrow’s graduation for posting photos of her clad in a bikini on her Facebook account.

Though she’s allowed to graduate, the Catholic school’s decision not to allow her to join the graduation ceremony would surely be painful for her and her family seeing that the commencement exercise is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Somehow the school through its monitors managed to gain access to her photos in her Facebook account probably through her friends, some of whom may or may not be the same ones also castigated by the school for wearing similar beach wear.

The case is pending in court after the school and the girl’s parents filed their separate petitions on the case. The question remains as to whether the judge will give his ruling in time for the girl to join her classmates in tomorrow’s graduation.

The girl’s case and Spies’s story show how, despite the distance and the cultural and social divide separating them, their schools are being challenged on their views and policies of what constitutes acceptable behavior of their students, specifically female ones.

While Spies is 18 years old and therefore considered an adult by standards, the St. Theresa’s College student is still a minor at 16 years of age. What makes them similar is the fact that both schools made their decisions unilaterally and the girls were not given chances to ventilate their side of the issue.

Both were also denied the opportunity to experience being part of a one-time event that is integral in their growing years.

While Spies has to live with the schoolbook fiasco, the girl only has less than 24 hours to know if she can take part in the graduation, her fate now in court. We can only hope her situation is resolved.