Braless Florida high school student told to cover up with bandages

BRADENTON, Florida — A high school junior in Florida is taking on her school district’s dress code after a dean made her put adhesive bandages on her nipples.

Lizzy Martin, 17, was wearing an oversized unisex shirt without a bra to Braden River High School last week. Martin told WFTS a dean believed her outfit was inappropriate and asked Martin to put on another shirt under the one she was wearing.

“She asked me to stand up and move around for her,” Martin said. “She then proceeded to tell me it wasn’t a fix.”

Martin said the dean took her to the nurse’s office, where she asked Martin to cover her nipples with Band-Aids. She said the dean thought the bandages were necessary because male students were distracted.

“If the boys in my class were so distracted, shouldn’t they have been talked to and educated about the situation and not me being pulled out of class?” Martin asked.

Lizzy’s mother was outraged when she learned about the incident and demanded an explanation from the school.

The district is saying Lizzy violated the school’s dress code in a statement:

“This matter was brought to the attention of the Superintendent’s Office for review. It is undisputed that this matter should have been handled differently at the school level and corrective measures have been taken to prevent a reoccurrence in the way these matters will be addressed in the future. There was a violation of the School Dress Code and that it was an appropriate matter to address by the School. It is clear that the intent of school officials was to assist the student in addressing the situation. No disciplinary action was taken in relation to the student.”

However, Lizzy and her family aren’t backing down.

“We would not target a male who had excessive breast tissue and ask them to confine the movement,” Lizzy’s mother told WFTS.

Lizzy said she is planning on protesting by going braless the rest of the school year.

“I know I’m bringing attention to myself, whether that be like positive or negative, but it’s just an issue that should be addressed,” she said.