TRENDING

 

While Carey and a friend were walking the halls at school, they were stopped by a teacher who informed Carey that her skirt (pictured above) was too short, even though she'd worn it multiple times before without incident, and that she'd have to go to an in-school suspension and then leave for the day instead of staying to attend the rest of her classes. Carey, incensed that her outfit seemed to be of a higher concern than her education, took to Facebook to speak out against the incident.

In her post, which has been shared over 14,000 times and inspired countless others, Carey wrote, "Thank you for teaching me that looking good for school is NOT appropriate. Thank you for letting me know that while I may think that I am dressing up for my Teacher Cadet lesson, I am in fact dressing to go to a night club or the whore house. Thank you for bringing me to tears in front of my friends and classmates because you do not have the decency to pull me aside and explain the problem," addressing several of her issues with the incident, additionally noting other inappropriate sexist behaviors from teachers who are expected to uphold the educational environment.

"I am woman with thighs, a butt, and a brain. I am bigger than Beaufort High School. All of us are. Maybe instead of worrying about my skirt, Beaufort High should take notice of its incompetent employees, and sexist leaders," she finished, and we can't help but be inspired by her passionate words. Though there are certainly benefits and reasons for having a dress code, schools' top priorities should always be their students' education. Carey has clearly made her own education a priority—and now it's up to her school to follow suit.

School principal Corey Murphy doesn't exactly disagree, adding that though he agrees with the way the teacher involved handled the situation, Carey's outfit was completely appropriate, and her speech certainly moving. "She's a very gifted writer," he told The Beaufort Gazette. "That's what it was, you can feel the emotion in her words. Something like that, that's impressive."

We're sure Carey's speech will inspire kids all over—and hopefully some teachers, too. Dressing appropriately is of course important, but even more important is getting a good education.

Have you ever had an issue with your school's dress code? How did you deal?

Photo credit: Carey Burgess

by Alexa Matthews | 2/1/2016