Student in High Heels Booted from Class

A male student at a Florida high school was removed from class when the response to his wearing high heels sparked "safety" concerns from the principal.

Fox Tampa Bay reports on the incident involving an unidentified student at Riverview High School. A friend said the young man, who wears the heels to feel more confident, felt "shame" for being called out of class.

According to Fox Tampa Bay, "A teacher called the principal's office. That teacher said the boy's shoes were disrupting the classroom. Principal Bob Heilmann says there was name-calling. He asked the student to take off the heels."

Heilmann did not discipline the student, but he said it was important to "take the paternal side and make sure he's going to be OK," noting that consequences occur when people go outside "the norm." In his view, it was not the shoes but the reaction to them that necessitated their removal.

The news report did not indicate whether the students who called the young man names were disciplined.

Fox Tampa Bay reports that some students protested the decision, with one boy wearing a dress to school. Principal Heilmann asked the student to change for the sake of his "safety," and the boy agreed.

Boy in high heels removed from class: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com