About 50 students in the Montreal area – the vast majority of whom are female – were suspended last Wednesday after their school deemed that the shorts they were wearing were too short.

Many students organized a strike yesterday, Thursday, in protest of what they believe to be "gender-biased" dress codes that unfairly target girls.

Isabelle Drouin, a student at Kateri Memorial High School in Laval, said that one staff member told her that her knees were "attractive to boys." "I didn't understand why. She said word for word: 'Your knees are attractive to boys; I don't understand why.' You have to go home."

Taly Kloutier, an eleventh grader, said, "I find it somewhat humiliating to be discriminated against because of shorts."

Kloutier insists that these measures affect female students almost exclusively.

She wrote in a letter that "the shorts we wear as students cover our bodies in a respectful way, and we don’t allow anything inappropriate to show."

A student mentioned that the ventilation system at the school is poor, claiming there is no air conditioning.

She said, "So, the temperatures inside the classrooms are higher than those outside." "These temperatures do not create a conducive environment for learning."

Romy Moise Ether, an eleventh grader, said, "It’s hard to concentrate when you’re trying to cool down your body."

According to the school's dress code, which has been communicated to parents, shorts must be around the knee or just above it. In an email sent to parents, the school explained: "The dress code was developed after consulting with the school community, and it ensures the creation of a harmonious atmosphere at school."

It added that even some athletic shorts for school sports teams may be a violation if worn for everyday use. The school also informed parents that "if a student is found not in compliance, they will be required to change their clothes, if they have any spare clothes with them, or they will be sent home to change."