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Amid the uproar across Canada over student dress codes, school administrators came to the defence of such rules on Wednesday, saying they are not meant to stifle creativity or be sexist.

Standards are needed for safety reasons and to prevent clothes from becoming a distraction in the classroom, officials said. Such rules also prepare students for the working world.

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“Principals are doing their very best to ensure they are providing a policy that tries to account for both social growth and movement and traditional values that people hold near and dear,” said Tina Estabrooks, president of the Canadian Association of Principals and the principal of an elementary school in Saint John, N.B.

Dress code policies have become a flashpoint in school districts in Ontario and the Maritimes in recent weeks.

Dozens of students at A.B. Lucas Secondary School in London, Ont., rallied Wednesday in support of Grade 12 student Laura Anderson, who was sent home earlier this week after wearing a loose-fitting, sleeveless top and ripped jeans to school.