Parent Strips Down During School Board Meeting: 'I Wanted to Make a Clear Argument'
One Arizona father went to great lengths to make his point in a debate over a school district’s dress code for students.
Ira Latham stripped down to a crop top and shorts in protest of the Higley Unified School District’s proposed dress policies during a board meeting late last month, according to KTVK-TV.
“Under the proposed policy, this would be appropriate in a classroom,” he said before removing an outer layer of clothing to reveal the skimpy outfit underneath.
Latham addressed the board members from his state of semi-nudity, criticizing the proposal to change dress standards to require students to merely cover their underwear.
Can’t unsee this:
An Arizona father stripped down to a crop top and short shorts at a school board meeting to protest a proposed dress code that would allow tank tops and students showing their midriff.
Ira Latham was among several parents at Higley Unified School District’s… pic.twitter.com/JNhbEmrDWq
— Tired of being politically correct (@USBornNRaised) October 12, 2023
Latham, the father of four students in the district, said the lax dress code was inappropriate for a school environment and would create distractions in the classroom.
“As a dad that’s very concerned about my children as well as everyone else’s kids in the district, I wanted to make a clear argument,” he said, according to KTVK.
“Before, they had some guidance, but now they have no guidance. It’s just, ‘Kids, cover your underwear.'”
Previously, the district forbade students from displaying their chest or midriff.
Despite the objections from some members of the community, the new dress code was approved at the meeting on a 3-2 vote.
Board member Anna van Hoek, who voted against the policy, spoke out against the effort to loosen dress standards in school.
“The fact that we have adults advocating for children to have less clothing on is absurd to me,” she said. “I think it’s doing these kids a disservice by allowing them to be able to wear whatever they want to school.”
Board president Tiffany Shultz explained why she supported the new dress code, saying, “We want teachers to be teaching and not having to waste time measuring a girl’s shirt or making a girl feel uncomfortable.”
She also addressed Latham’s display at the meeting.
“I understand this [parent’s] concerns. Did his removing clothing have any [effect] on me or the meeting? No, it didn’t. He made his statement and we carried on with our business,” Shultz said.
Another board member criticized Latham’s actions.
“While I respect and understand there are some parents who are angry with the policy, the choice of one parent at the board meeting to wear clothes to express his displeasure with the policy felt like it missed the mark,” Amanda Wade said.
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