This is Summer, who has a 4.4 GPA. She was given a 10-day suspension for wearing this shirt.
While Ivanka Trump was totes cool with praising Saudi Arabia for their “encouraging” faux progress on women’s rights, in a country where women still are not allowed to drive a car or go out in public alone, the United States has a few misogyny problems of its own.
On May 17, in Harrisburg, North Carolina, a senior at Hickory Ridge High School named Summer — who has a 4.4 GPA, for fuck’s sake — was given a 10-day “insubordination” suspension and barred from participating in senior activities, as well as graduation itself. Summer’s terrible crime was wearing the shirt pictured above, which comes slightly off her shoulders and exposes her (wait for it, wait for it) collarbone.
…
I KNOW!!!
Unfortunately, that is SO not the worst part of this story. The principal at Hickory Ridge has a problem with Summer, and from everything I’ve read, it sounds like the principal and Summer have had run-ins since she was a freshman. It’s gotten so bad that Summer’s mother has requested that Summer not be disciplined without a call to her first. That was a pretty big red flag to me, so I did some research about the principal.
Hickory Ridge High School’s principal is Michelle Rinehardt-Cline. It appears as if she is universally disliked by the entire student population at the school, so it’s a good thing she’s picking on a 4.4 GPA student who has a full scholarship to college and is on a pre-med track. Cline is threatening now to expel Summer, which would probably put Summer’s scholarship in jeopardy.
Hey, Asshole Educator Lady! How about we build young women up so’s they can go on to bigger and better things? I have no proof of this, but I feel like this woman is either jealous of Summer or feels threatened by her intellect. Or she’s a Republican. Or all three.
I am not even close to being done. This Cline lady is a fucking menace. Summer had been confronted by the principal at lunch, and told that her shirt went against the school dress code. Because, ya know, the young girlz gotta not show their shoulders or their collarbones or their backs so the young boyz won’t be tempted to rape them and stuff.
Summer responded plainly: “I think my shirt is fine.” Nevertheless, she was told by Cline to cover up with a jacket. Summer didn’t have a jacket at school, so her friend let her borrow one. Summer put it on over the cute, green shirt and zipped it all the way up to her neck.
But for some seriously odd reason, Michelle Rinehardt-Cline wouldn’t drop it. She told Summer that she’d need to go to the “the control room” to change her shirt. (I mean, WTF! For what? The jacket was already on over the shirt.) Summer informed Cline that she wasn’t going anywhere without calling her mother first. That’s when shit gets real and Cline crosses a line into potentially criminal behavior:
"[The School Resource Officer] was within five feet of me, he had his hand on his gun. [The principal] said 'I'm gonna give you an ultimatum. We have tried to call your mother. You either come with me to the control room to change your shirt or we will arrest you.”
Summer says she remained seated and proceeded to try to reach her mother again.
"I stayed in my seat just like a lot of role models that I have looked up to stayed in their seats," she says. 'I mean, you have to stand up for what you believe in."
Summer says the principal instructed the SRO to arrest Summer. Before he could handcuff her, her mother called back.
Summer went to the control room with the school administrators where she was given a 10-day suspension and ordered not to attend any senior activities, including graduation.
So, ya know, I’m pretty infuriated right now. What exactly did they expect to charge this young, awesome, and bright girl with — indecent exposure? Are police in the habit of arresting young women who expose their shoulders and collarbone? Are we in Saudi Arabia now?
As you can imagine, the internet completely lost its mind over this, and people are calling the school and the school district to get this Cline lady fired. Good.
Heavy has collected information about Michelle Cline, and here’s a former student of Hickory Ridge, Riley Alexandra Scott:
I do know this girl and I doubt she was giving any real trouble. Michelle Cline is upset that she is being exposed to her student body as anything less than professional when that is what she is. The inequality in the school baffles me. From choosing who she’s wants to target for dress code, which athlete’s grades she wants to change, or which athletes she will let bypass the rules after getting hammered at prom because she wants a state championship. But that only applies to football players and not softball players as I witnessed scholarships and futures being stripped away from the young ladies when the boys were found under the next season’s Friday night lights. I GUARANTEE you there were several students in that area dressed considerably inappropriate. If there was consistency it would make sense, but there never is and it is ridiculous .
This lady does not care about her students which infuriates me as a future educator. She had problems when she was just a teacher at the school so I don’t understand why anyone thought it would be a good idea to put her in authority. When the majority of the student body doesn’t respect you, it is because you have let them down in several ways and you come across as a joke. We are talking about a lady dress coding students while there are highly inappropriate photos of her floating through her student body.
Sure enough, the first picture I saw of Michelle Cline, she’s wearing a sleeveless top or dress. What a goddamned hypocrite.
Here is some action for you to take:
Hickory Ridge High School
(704) 454 - 7300
(704) 454 - 7330, fax
michelle.cline@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Superintendent Chris Lowder, Ed.D. 704.262.6123 Superintendent@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Chief of Staff Office of the Superintendent Robert Kirk, Ed.D 704.262.6123 james.kirk@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Board Clerk Ailene Monroe 704.262.6238 ailene.monroe@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
The school district has refused to comment on Cline’s outright abuse of 4.4 GPA student Summer, citing “privacy”, but this young woman’s future literally hangs in the balance. Please call or email Mrs. Cline or her bosses, because this sexist bullshit is seriously untenable.
P.S. If you’re not angry enough and want to get pissed off even more, read this fucking crap. Michelle Rinehardt-Cline does not care about the First Amendment, and she does not care about her own students’ rights. This just reeks of Republicanism.
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