11-Year-Old Sent To Principal's Office For ‘Emerging Hole’ In His Jeans

The school called the child’s mother over an “emerging hole” in his jeans

An 11-year-old boy was sent to the principal’s office in what might be the most ridiculous (and cruel) dress code “violation” we’ve heard about in a long time. He had an “emerging hole” in his jeans.

Yes, we’re completely serious.

Ethan Orr, a student at Laurens Middle School in South Carolina, was sent to the principal’s office and subsequently, went home from school after a dress code “inspection” found the child to have a slight snag in his jeans. AKA, they looked like the jeans of pretty much any kid after owning them for a couple of months.

“He had to come home because of that. He missed an entire day of education for that,” says his mom Lori Ann Orr, who shared the video of her son’s dress code “violation” on Facebook. It’s clear from the video that although there’s some wear and tear, the jeans don’t have an actual hole. And even if they did — sending him to the principal? Seriously?

“It’s not a hole,” she added in the video. “It is a stretch in the fabric.” Exactly. If I went through my own 11-year-old’s pants drawer right now, I can promise with 100 percent certainty that half of them would have an “emerging hole” of their own. Or an actual hole. Kids aren’t exactly known for being gentle on their clothes, and an elementary school, of all places, should be extremely understanding of that fact.

The school called Orr and said he needed another pair of pants or would need to be picked up to go home for the day. The school’s director of public relations, Edward Murray, said in a statement that Ethan wasn’t forced to go home. “The rule about emerging holes deals with the fashion industry and clothes that come with preexisting holes,” Murray said. “When it comes to normal wear and tear, we certainly want to work with parents.”

Regardless, being sent to the principal’s office over a tiny fabric run is pretty embarrassing for an 11-year-old.

“I asked them, is this really a reason for him to have to be sent to the office and disrupt his entire day; is this a good reason,” Orr told WYFF NBC News. “And she says, ‘We realize it’s not a hole. It’s what we call an emerging hole.'”

The mom says that she lives “paycheck to paycheck” and points out how this particular part of the dress code targets families who can’t necessarily afford to replace clothes at the slightest sign of wear. “Basically, he’s sent out of class, he has to go to the office and announce that he’s there because he has a hole in his pants in front of all these other kids,” she said. “As a mother, that broke my heart.”

Lori Ann says she’s since spoken with the school and they told her they’re “amending the guidelines in reference to emerging holes and putting a stop to dress code inspections.”

“I’m thankful that they listened and understood and decided to act on it. It means a lot to a lot of people. I feel great that I was able to help put this into action and be the voice for so many people.”