Westlake HS Student Starts Petition for Boys to Wear Earrings

I can remember in my school days that from time to time boys at my school would have an earring in their ear. Sometimes it would be a small stud, small fake diamond, or just a clear spacer piece. I do remember at one point one of my friends forgot to take it out, and we stuck a piece of a toothpick in there to keep it open. I don't remember the dress code, in general, being very strict, but it was also the 90's. We also didn't have school uniforms and wore a ton of Space Jam shirts, Starter Jackets, and JeanCo Jeans. Middle school developed a no chain wallet policy and I think they outlawed pencil breaking at some point.

Fast forward to today, the times are changing. For Westlake Highschool, the subject that has recently been talked about is male earring wearing. It has become a hot topic in the area, and one student is speaking up to do something about it. The question at hand is should boys be allowed to wear earrings in school?

According to the CPSB Handbook under "CPSB Dress Code Expectations"

The policy of the Calcasieu Parish School Board shall be that no mode of attire shall be considered proper for school wear that distracts or disrupts classroom and school decorum.

Fairly generic guideline. Is an earring in a boy's ear a distraction? It could be, but so could a girl's. There are only two other mentions of jewelry under the CPSB's "School Dress Code" section under "Other Dress Code Expectations"

2. Sunglasses, nose rings, visible body piercing, and excessive or inappropriate jewelry are prohibited.

5. Clothing, jewelry, and general appearance shall not be of the type that would cause a disturbance, distract, or interfere with the instructional programs.

Nothing specifically notates that a boy cannot have and earring in his ear. Only that if the jewelry itself is a distraction. Which is understandable. I would be distracted if a classmate walked in with a Lil Booise sized necklace walked in. I searched for the actual student handbook for Westlake Highschool, but could not find anything. While searching for that, I was able to find Westwood Elementary's handbook, it just states the same policies that the CPSB has in theirs.

EDIT: 1-8-2020 3:44pm - After posting this article, we were contacted by the CPSB and were informed that the Westlake Highschool Handbook does state that it specifically does not allow boys to wear earrings. 

It seems that with this knowledge that nothing actually says a boy cannot wear an earring, the junior at Westlake Highschool has a case. The petition has over 200 supporters since it was first started over 19 hours ago. I applaud the student for speaking up and doing his own research to form a case. In typical laws and rules fashion, it's all in how you interpret them. If he wins this case, I hope he goes on to try his hand at a law degree.