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Negotiation
Jeanne LoCicero/ACLU-NJ
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey reached an agreement with the Hasbrouck Heights School District on behalf of Michael Coviello, a 17 year-old male student who was prohibited from wearing a skirt to school.
Coviello, a senior at the Hasbrouck Heights High School, decided to wear skirts and kilts to school to protest the District's prohibition on students wearing shorts between October 1 and April 15, which he thought was arbitrary and unfair. The school objected when he wore a costume dress and ask Coviello to change clothes, which he did. Michael discussed the issue with the Superintendent who advised him to wear skirts and dresses purchased in a retail store. Coviello followed the superintendent's suggestion, buying several skirts that complied with the superintendent's guidelines. After a few days of wearing skirts and kilts without incident, Michael was sent home with a note from the principal stating that he would not be allowed to attend class if he wore any sort of dress, kilt or skirt.
On January 3, 2006, the ACLU-NJ sent a letter to the superintendent explaining that the dress policy needed to be enforced equally: because the policy allows students to wear skirts, all students - not just girls - should be able to wear skirts that comply with the policy. The letter also explained that Coviello's decision to wear skirts was expressive conduct that is protected by the First Amendment. During a meeting on Jaunary 17, 2006, the district agreed that Michael would be allowed to wear skirts in the future.
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