Summer, a senior at Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, North Carolina, was suspended for standing up for herself when threatened with arrest after violating the dress code. Wearing a scoop neck shirt that shows her collarbones and reportedly a small portion of her lower back, Summer was asked to put a jacket on over her shirt. She complied to the principal's demand and thought that the battle was over. The principal then insisted that she accompany her to another room, where she would be required to change her outfit, even though she had put on a jacket as previously instructed.
"I completely understand why a dress code is put into place, but I feel like after I put on that jacket it should have been subdued," Summer told WCNC. Summer responded stating that she wasn't going to go with her unless her mother was called, which was a previously agreed upon by the school district and her family after a number of incidents between Summer and the principal. She then accompanied her friends to an assembly after being unable to reach her mother via phone call. After the assembly was over, the principal entered and dismissed all of Summer's peers except for herself.
"The Security Officer was within five feet of me, he had his hand on his gun. The principal said 'I'm gonna give you an ultimatum. We have tried to call your other. You either come with me to the control room to change your shirt or we will arrest you.'" Summer remained in her seat while desperately attempting to reach her mother. The security officer was instructed to arrest Summer, so she agreed to go with them and change even though her mother hadn't been reached. She was given a 10-day suspension, is not allowed to participate in any senior activities, including graduation, and her principal is still considering expulsion.
One of the kickers to this story is that her suspension was cited as "insubordination." Summer complied to the original request of putting a jacket on but refused to deal with any other punishments until her mother was contacted. This was an established agreement between Summer's mother and the school's administration. Not only was she unnecessarily threatened with arrest, but she is now concerned about her future.
Summer is an extremely bright child and has received a full-ride scholarship to a major university. She has a 4.4 GPA and is even on the pre-med track. She is very concerned with what this suspension and possibly expulsion could do to her admissions into the university. Her mother has hired a lawyer to challenge her punishment, stating that she was isolated and intimidated just for violating a dress code.
After posting about her battle on Twitter, her fellow community members and other Hickory Ridge students are livid, calling on the administration to fire the principal and revoke Summer's punishment. Students have been coming forward with their horror stories about the administration. In the past year, over 45 female students were sent to change just because their shirts didn't cover their entire bottoms while they were wearing leggings, one of the many ridiculous school policies. One girl was even wearing a 2XL shirt over hers, and the principal "changed the rules saying that it had to go past my fingertips," which is not included in the dress code policy. That same student, Malery Abdelaziz, states that the principal targets certain students, and "is inconsistent and biased and unfair."
Other students stated that the administration frequently breaks the dress code themselves, but are quick to punish any and all students that might be nearing infringement. Ken Harris, Summer's attorney, has been quick to release public statements about how the students and the community feel about how the school is being run. "There are numerous allegations concerning issues at the school related to the way students are managed. I have had several parents contact me already indicating that they have experienced issues that they have felt uncomfortable with at Hickory Ridge." Various students have also experienced bullying, but not only from students. Principal Cline reportedly targets specific individuals throughout the year with unnecessary punishments. 
