Florida high school draws backlash after altering girls’ yearbook photos to add clothing

Parents are criticizing a move by a Florida high school to digitally alter yearbook photos of their daughters in an effort to cover up exposed skin.

Several parents of students at Bartram Trail High School in St. Johns, Fla., told the St. Augustine Record that they believed school officials unfairly targeted girls with edits to yearbook photos that covered up areas of their bodies not covered by clothing.

Photos obtained by the Record show poorly-done Photoshop edits, in which officials crudely pasted splotches of color or patterns similar to students’ clothing over their chests and shoulders, with some attempts mismatching colors or resulting in strange, misshaped images.

In one photo provided by a parent to the Record, a girl’s shirt color is changed from blue to gray for no discernible reason, while her shoulders are also covered up with splotches of gray color.

I’m sorry WHAT

Bartram Trail High School is facing criticism from students and parents after a teacher edited girls’ yearbook photos to add more clothing. https://t.co/73f7HvAQsp pic.twitter.com/t9FCI5uA7I

— Mary Helen Moore (@maryhelenmoore) May 22, 2021

“I think it sends the message that our girls should be ashamed of their growing bodies, and I think that’s a horrible message to send out to these young girls that are going through these changes,” Adrian Bartlett, a parent, told the Record.

“It sends the message that our young girls should be ashamed of their naturally growing bodies,” she added.

Taryn O’Keefe, another Bartam parent, reportedly brought the issue to the attention of the local school board, calling it “just more body shaming” by school officials.

A spokeswoman for the school district told the Record that the school’s yearbook coordinator, a teacher at the school, made the edits in an effort to avoid students being left out of the yearbook due to her determination that they were in violation of the dress code. The school’s dress code had faced longstanding criticism from parents who say it is sexist before the edits made headlines, according to the Record.

“Bartram Trail High School’s previous procedure was to not include student pictures in the yearbook that they deemed in violation of the student code of conduct, so the digital alterations were a solution to make sure all students were included in the yearbook,” said the spokeswoman.