Lansing Catholic High School board: Sexual harassment allegations 'inaccurate and unfair'

LANSING – Sexual harassment complaints from students against staff at Lansing Catholic High School are "inaccurate and unfair," according to the school's governing board. 

A letter from more than 40 students claimed in recent months, both male and female staff have "ogled, stared at and inspected" female students in their uniforms. 

The students, who wrote anonymously for fear of retaliation, said they are "embarrassed and demeaned based on how our uniforms fit our bodies."

The school's uniform is a polo or oxford shirt with khaki, black or plaid skirts for female students and khaki or black pants for male students, according to the high school's handbook. 

Students sometimes must line up and spin around for staff to assess their clothing, the students wrote, and "have gone as far as making us put on football jerseys if they don't approve of how we look in our clothes." 

"We are absolutely not opposed to wearing a uniform, but on a daily basis the female students are made to feel uncomfortable about how they look in these uniforms," the letter reads. "The staff makes insensitive remarks and embarrasses us."

Parents have expressed similar concerns about the application of the uniform policy to the board, a Catholic Diocese of Lansing spokesperson said Friday. 

Principal Doug Moore said the school's board of trustees believes the accusations of sexual harassment are unfounded but expressed "sympathy and support" for students who feel they are "being disrespected in how our long-established and widely supported uniform policy is being upheld. 

The board approved the creation of a small committee of staff and students to gather feedback on how staff apply the uniform policy "in order to ensure that all our students feel affirmed and respected," Moore said in a statement. 

"After all, we aim to help our students to walk taller not smaller and I look forward to the ongoing discussion in the months to come," Moore added. 

Letter sparked board discussion

Students sent the letter this week to members of the media, the school board and school administrators. 

It arrived Thursday as the high school's board of trustees prepared to meet and sparked a board discussion. 

In the letter, students claimed staff "judge the size of our breasts" and heavily scrutinized female students who are more developed. 

"Many of us don't want to go to school anymore," the letter reads. "We don't want to talk to our teachers. It's such a distraction that it's difficult to learn anything right now."

Female students feel "like there is something wrong with us," the letter adds, and the situation is becoming "unbearable."

Students: Administration has done nothing

School administrators are aware of the concerns, the students added. 

"Many parents have written to and met with the school administration and they do nothing," they wrote. 

Moore acknowledged before the board meeting that "in recent months some students and parents have expressed concern about the way the policy is being upheld." Administrators encourage and welcome that feedback, he added. 

He didn't speak to any of the student's specific allegations, including being lined up for assessment or being forced to wear football jerseys. 

"In the light of today’s letter to local media, we would continue to urge any students or parents with any such concerns to come forward to either Lansing Catholic High School or the Diocese of Lansing so that the safety and well-being of all within our school community can be maintained," Moore said in his Thursday statement.

Contact reporter Megan Banta at (517) 377-1261 or mbanta@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.