Share this story:
Jared Hensley, an athletic director/assistant principal at Soddy-Daisy High School in Tennessee has been put on administrative leave following sexist remarks he made during the school’s announcements last week. Hensley was addressing the school’s dress code policy, explaining how all athletic shorts are banned and will result in a detention, even if they go past one’s knees. Hensley then went on to discuss how boys at the school should blame girls for the new changes to the dress code and that girl’s “pretty much ruin everything”. He even went on to use Adam & Eve as an example. The video of the school’s announcements, which are recorded and posted to YouTube, soon went viral on the internet.
Meet Jared Hensley, Asst. Principal & Athletic Director at Soddy Daisy High in TN talking about #dresscode “Blame the girls cause they pretty much ruin everything….It'll be like that the rest of your life.” Please rt and let @hamcoschools know this #misogyny is unacceptable pic.twitter.com/sbz244kSud
— jill w (@asking4myself) September 26, 2018
Tennessee high school AD put on leave after saying girls 'pretty much ruin everything' – USA TODAY Women Really Ruined Everything Since Adam & Eve?
I Dont remember Women Being Responsible for WW1&2,Priests Abusing??,Inquisition,Slavery, Holocaust,Napalm? https://t.co/DJBxgM1SH1— Cher (@cher) September 27, 2018
Jared Hensley is a jackass. He needs to be fired! He is an educator. I repeat-Hensley is an educator. He is supposed to be the adult in the room- not the resident misogynist. Every female in that school district needs to demand his resignation.
— Luckylady1003 (@luckylady1003) September 27, 2018
Following immense online backlash, the original video has since been removed. Dr. Bryan Johnson, the superintendent of Hamilton County School’s, even issued a statement, claiming the district “find the comments about young women in this video inexcusable,” and that, “the situation is under investigation, and [Jared Hensley] has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately.”
While many find the comments sexist and misogynistic, several students of Soddy-Daisy High School in Tennessee, are standing up for their Athletic Director. Some members of the community are even using the hashtag, #TeamHensley.
This is OUR Vice Principal, Jared Hensley this afternoon during the chaos of the downpour and severe weather making sure everyone gets home safely. You cannot tell me that this man doesn’t care for the students of Soddy Daisy High School. #teamhensley pic.twitter.com/YCMRj4RjUb
— Gavin Chambers (@gav_chambers) September 26, 2018
I’m a FEMALE senior at soddy daisy highschool and have attended there for all 4 years and just wanted to put it out there that girls DID ruin the dress code in all honesty. And coach Hensley has been a great leader in our school for so many people, myself included. It was a joke
— Morgan Owensby (@mlo46_morgan) September 26, 2018
For those of you who want to keep supporting Coach Hensley with post it notes, I placed a bucket next to his door with a lot of them, as well as pens. Feel free to stop by and write a nice comment to him and place it on his door! #TeamHensley pic.twitter.com/wIOQa9Kebv
— bryce (@BryceMChambers) October 2, 2018
I go to school here too and yes what he said was not right but if you knew this man no one cares more about soddy Daisy high school more than him and no one cares more about the students than him
— Mikayla Phillips (@_mnp_3) September 27, 2018
In many high schools (and other institutions), the dress code policy is a heavily debated issue. Many people think high school dress codes unfairly target girls and blame a girl’s outfit choice for boys misbehavior in school. Some students across America have even protested dress codes by having days in which large numbers of students wear clothes that specifically go against school policy. Other’s believe dress codes are enforced so that people won’t dress inappropriately, or “sexually”. But inappropriate and sexual are really hard to define, especially with children. Because high school and teen years are such a fundamental part of a person’s growth, high school dress codes can really shape how one will grow up and look at themselves. But regardless of anyone’s stance on dress code policies, Jared Hensley, a high school athletic director and assistant principal, said girls “pretty much ruin everything”, and in this day and age every stupid you say can haunt you forever.
As a graduate of Soddy-Daisy High School, I’d like to say the comments made by the athletic director are extremely embarrassing, inexcusable, and unacceptable. Let’s be better than that. #DontBlameTheGirls
— Jake Flinn (@J_Flinno) September 26, 2018
So the assistant principal at Soddy made a video blaming girls for dress code. Even if he was joking (students sticking up for him), there is a time and a place for making a joke. Not at a school that has young women who are still learning.
— Vanessa (@nessafaye1125) September 27, 2018