MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Vanguard High School Principal John Kerley initially denied Josh Ramko’s request to wear a dress, but when he said he reached out to the ACLU, the principal changed his mind.
The Marion County School Board told Channel 9’s Myrt Price it’s considering removing the gender specific clothing section from its dress code.
Prom at Vanguard High School this weekend.
The ACLU of Florida told the principal the student’s First Amendment right to express himself was being violated. The organization said the district can tell students they have to wear proper, even formal attire, but they can’t tell boys and girls they have to dress in gender stereotypes.
Vanguard is the same school where there was controversy over whether a transgender student could use the male bathroom.
The district eventually decided the student had to use either girl’s restroom or a gender neutral bathroom.
[ Related story: Transgender students must use restroom of sex on birth certificate ]
Related story: Birth certificate gender could restrict Marion County students' bathroom choice