FHS dress code won't change 'overnight,' David McTimoney says

The superintendent of the Anglophone West School district is promising to hold another meeting with the Fredericton Youth Feminists over the group’s concerns with the Fredericton High School dress code policy.

David McTimoney and the group met for 90 minutes on Monday over the dress code.

The district superintendent said the discussion helped both sides outline their positions.

“It basically allowed us to gain a more clear perspective on their concerns,” McTimoney said.

“We've agreed to continue the conversation and gather a little more information, widening the circle of stakeholders and next step would involve talking to other students throughout our district.”

McTimoney said another meeting about the dress code will likely be held after Christmas.

The district superintendent said a policy change is “not something that happens overnight.”

“It's not even something that we can determine if it has to happen right away,” he said.

The controversy started when the Fredericton Youth Feminists released a video that took aim at the high school’s dress code.

The group says the dress code promotes a rape culture by blaming female victims for attracting male aggression.

The school’s dress code states that all members of the school community are “expected to dress in a neat, clean, modest and appropriate manner.”