Florida high school edits extra clothing onto female students’ yearbook photos

A Florida high school is facing backlash after editing dozens of female students’ yearbook photos, altering necklines and covering shoulders.

Bartram Trail High School digitally altered at least 80 photos of female students. The school did not alter any photos of male students, even though the boys’ swim team was photographed in Speedo bathing suits, according to the New York Times.

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The school’s yearbook coordinator, Anne Irwin, who is also a teacher at the school, decided the photos were in violation of the dress code, the St. Augustine Record reported, citing school district spokeswoman Christina Langston.

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“Bartram Trail High School’s previous procedure was to not include student pictures in the yearbook that they deemed in violation of the student code of conduct, so the digital alterations were a solution to make sure all students were included in the yearbook,” Langston said.

After backlash and accusations of shaming women’s bodies, the school is offering refunds to anyone who purchased a yearbook, though photos have been edited in previous years as well.

“At this point, the school is offering refunds to any parents calling about this issue. The school is receiving feedback from parents/guardians/students on making this process better for next year,” she added.

The school retains the right to edit any photos that are not “consistent with the St. Johns County School District Code of Conduct,” according to its website. Girls’ shoulders and midriffs are not allowed to be exposed, according to the school’s dress code policy, and skirts that end 4 or more inches above the knee are also not permitted.

One student, Riley O’Keefe, whose yearbook photo was edited to include a black bar across her chest, said many of the girls were accused of violating the dress code for wearing zipped-up jackets that covered tank tops.

She alleged that teachers were telling girls “to unzip their jackets to see what was underneath, to see if it was appropriate. But the thing is, if it’s zipped up, it should be fine.”

“They need to recognize that it’s making girls feel ashamed of their bodies,” O’Keefe told the New York Times.

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This is the second time this year the school has been accused of treating female and male students differently. At the end of March, the school was accused of sexism when more than 30 female students received dress code violations, which resulted in them being taken out of class and sent to the dean’s office to either change or face suspension.

Representatives from the school and school district did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.

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