Sundress disqualifies FMHS student from elected position

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- A Fort Myers High School student is stripped of her honors and it’s all because she wore a sundress to deliver a speech.

“She texted me later that morning to let me know she had won,” said Caroline Boland.

A victory for Fort Myers High School junior Cameron Boland was short lived. She was voted as historian of the National Honor Society and then her position was taken away.

“Shortly after, she texted me to let me know her position had been disqualified.”

Cameron wore a dress with spaghetti straps to give her speech at Ida Baker High School, but it’s against the school’s dress code.

“I was aware of the dress code at Ida Baker, but not going there, I didn’t think it applied to me, I am not one of their students. Also, being an extracurricular activity an event, I didn’t feel a need to comply with the dress code,” said Cameron Boland.

The district says after the vote, students were complaining to NHS advisors about the outfit, and that’s when advisors from every school, including Cameron’s made the decision to disqualify her.

“We put our jackets on and asked if we could apologize and redo our speech and we were told no,” said Boland.

Cameron says the National Honor Society does not have its own dress code.

“It is clear the adults, the advisors involved made mistakes and no one wants to own up to those mistakes.”

Now, Cameron and her mom are hoping she gets a second chance.

“We want a reelection or given our spots back.”

The Lee County School District tells WINK News, it’s up to the advisors, who are teachers, and the principal, to come up with a solution. It’s not clear if that will happen by the end of the school year.