For one Milwaukee elementary school, spirit week got really spirited when a dress-up day sparked outrage among parents of students.
Last Friday, students at Tippecanoe School for the Arts and Humanities were encouraged to come to school dressed as the opposite sex for a “Switch It Up Day.” The school spirit week event was meant to be a day when boys were encouraged to dress like girls, and girls were encouraged to dress like boys.
“They might as well call it ‘Transgender Day,’” Deidri Hernandez, a concerned parent of a student at the school, told EAG News.
Hernandez, who said that she had never acted against school policy before, decided to do something about the situation by speaking out and keeping her 7-year-old son home from school that Friday.
“Every time something’s bothering a liberal or an atheist, they come forward to complain,” she told EAG News. “And somebody always has a problem with Easter or Christmas.”
She added that it is “ridiculous” and “creepy” to encourage students to dress as the opposite sex and believed it would distract them from learning.
The cross-dressing day was originally called “Gender Bender Day” until Hernandez stepped forward and complained. Tippecanoe officials subsequently changed the name. Hernandez said that she “didn’t have a problem with the title” but “had a problem with the activity taking place.”
She questioned the underlying purposes of “Switch It Up Day” and whether the school’s event was an attempt to encourage the acceptance of homosexuality among students. She argued they were too young to be exposed to such issues even if it was just for fun.
School officials did not seem to see anything wrong with the event, however.
According to EAG News, when Hernandez complained to the school’s office she was told that the event was just for fun and the school was not breaking any rules.
“This is an idea created by students as one in a series of school spirit days,” Tony Tagliavia, a spokesperson for Milwaukee Public schools, told EAG News.
He added that the participation in “Switch It Up Day” was not mandatory and that he does not believe that the event meant any harm or promotes alternative lifestyles. Mr. Tagliavia did admit, however, that there was a concern regarding the comfort of students.
“There are undoubtedly children at the school who felt like they had two bad choices today – either dress up as the opposite sex, which might make them feel uncomfortable, or dress normally and be out of place with the rest of the school, which might also make them feel uncomfortable,” he said. “The third alternative – skipping a day of school – means they are missing a day of important instruction.”
“Switch It Up Day” was apparently a flop, however, as the local Fox News affiliate couldn’t find any students dressed like the opposite gender. Only teachers and other school staff dressed up for the day, Fox reported.
Tippecanoe’s cross-dressing day is not the first of its kind in Wisconsin, however. In 2008, an elementary school in Reedsburg had a similar event as part of an annual school tradition called Wacky Week.
Tippecanoe School for the Arts and Humanities could not be reached for additional comment at the time of this article.
This article has been updated to include additional information.
