Cathedral Catholic High School bans skirts from dress code

SAN DIEGO - After issuing "thousands of hours of detention'' to students modifying the length of uniform skirts, Cathedral Catholic High School in the Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego has made the decision to ban skirts from its dress code.

Students at Cathedral Catholic High School learned about the new rules in an email from Principal Kevin Calkins on Friday, NBC7 reported.

In an email sent to parents and students, Calkins wrote that the dress code exists to foster a faith-based environment where students are focused on learning and not outward appearances.

"Male faculty feel uncomfortable addressing female students about the length of their skirts, even female faculty have expressed frustration with the ongoing challenge of dress code,'' Calkins wrote in the email.

Female students will be allowed to wear pants, capri pants or Bermuda shorts. Male students have the option of wearing pants or shorts, according to the email.

Before the ban, female students were allowed to wear skirts that were not excessively tight or form fitting and that were no shorter than 3 inches from the top of the kneecap while standing upright, according to the school's dress code.

In response to the ban, the students created a petition on change.org and as of this morning, 2,669 people have signed the petition.

Students also planned a peaceful protest that was set to begin at 7:15 a.m. today in front of the school.

Cathedral Catholic High School is a private school located in Carmel Valley serving roughly 1,600 students in grades 9-12. The school charges an annual tuition of $18,500.