A principal at a Catholic high school in Ontario has apologized after telling girls they were putting boys in an 鈥渁wkward situation鈥� like 鈥渢he Me Too movement鈥� as he measured the length of their skirts to see if they conformed with a dress code.
Bern Tate, principal of St. Theresa鈥檚 Catholic High School in Midland, can be heard on a recording made earlier this week saying: 鈥淚t鈥檚 like the Me Too movement, you鈥檙e putting every male in this building in an awkward situation.鈥�
Another person can be heard on the recording saying that a skirt is 鈥渨ay too short.鈥�
Student Hannah Arbour told CTV Barrie that she was stunned by Tate鈥檚 comment, an apparent reference to the spate of high-profile sexual assault allegations that were made public as part of the Me Too movement.
鈥淚鈥檝e never felt that my kilt was an inappropriate length,鈥� Arbour added. 鈥淗e鈥檚 made me second-guess myself.鈥�
Grade 12 student Sarah Charlebois said that Tate also told the student that legs are 鈥減retty.鈥� She said the comment made some students 鈥渦ncomfortable.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e underage females in a Catholic school,鈥� Charlebois said. 鈥淲hy is that comment being made by someone of authority?鈥�
Kim Masin, the parent of a St. Theresa鈥檚 twelfth grader, said it鈥檚 fine for educators to talk about the skirts and to tell students what to wear, 鈥渂ut do not mention Me Too in that same context.鈥�
鈥淭hey鈥檙e really implying that these girls are asking for it by showing their legs,鈥� Masin said.
Brian Beal, Director of Education with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, said that Tate had apologized to the class involved.
鈥淢r. Tate has said it was a poor choice of words and that it should never have happened and I would concur with that,鈥� Beal said. 鈥淲e would never want to devalue any of our boys, any of our girls,鈥� he added.
Beal said the school board is planning 鈥渁 debrief鈥� with all principals about the incident.
With a report from CTV Barrie鈥檚 Beatrice Vaisman
