A DAD revealed how his daughter was left in tears and refused to return to school after being sent home for her “lingerie outfit”.
The then 17-year-old only wanted to feel good about herself but was told that her clothes had made a male teacher feel ‘awkward’
Karis, now 19, was sent home in February 2021 after she was informed that her clothes had made a male teacher feel “awkward”.
Another female teacher had said that the attire reminded her of a “lingerie outfit”.
It was reported that she wore a knee-length black dress with lace trim over a white turtleneck with long sleeves when teachers started complaining.
And the situation caused her so much stress that Karis never returned to NorKam Secondary School in Kamloops, British Columbia, to complete her studies.
It left Christopher furious and he started a Facebook Live to tell the story, which amassed more than 100,000 views in total.
He said: “She wasn’t wearing it in a sexual manner. She wasn’t wearing it for attention. She normally wears track pants and a hoody.
“She had a snowboarding accident a month or two ago and couldn’t be active for a while. She had started going to the gym and feeling better about herself.”
He added: “The one day she decided to wear a dress and feel good about herself, this is how they reacted.”
Those who viewed Christopher’s video began sending hate to the school in support of his daughter.
Karis initially stayed at home for more than a week but when the time came for her to return, she couldn’t bring herself to go in.
She become increasingly nervous about what she would wear.
“It became more about caring about what to wear to school than going for the education,” said Christopher.
“She had lost more than a week of school and then she said, ‘Dad, I don’t know what to wear to school.'”
Things became so bad that Karis felt she needed to discus what sort of clothes she could wear, speaking of her worries about how she would be perceived.
Even if she wore something comfortable, Chris said that she was worried that she was conforming.
He added: “She elaborated a little bit and said, ‘Dad, if I wear something I feel pretty in, am I trying to rub it in their face?'”
Although Karis refused to return to school, she was still able to finish her high school education at home.
She was also able to attend her graduation in person with her friends.
Now, she has started university in Alberta and wants to put the ordeal behind her.
Christopher said his daughter wouldn’t change anything even if she had the chance to go back.
In a touching tribute posted to mark her 19th birthday, Christopher wrote: “Karis Wilson you are beautiful, you are resilient, you are smart, you are compassionate, you are funny and most of all I just love being around you. Happy 19th birthday sweetheart.”
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
