Schools have had dress codes since time immemorial, or at least it seems that way, and with good reason. Schools are centers of learning. They're not primarily meant to be forums for "self-expression."

And that brings us to North Cobb High School, where sophomore Jonathan Escobar, 16, is in the news for his decision to start attending school this year dressed in women's garb.

"I'm not going to dress like a man," he told the MDJ. "I'm not going to wear depressing boring clothes. I'm going to express myself."

And so he did, wearing a bright pink wig and high-heels on his second day of school, which caused at least two fights to break out between students who supported him and those who did not.

He also chose to use the women's restroom, rather than the men's.

"I think it was on the second day that the football team really started to notice me," said Escobar, who later in the MDJ interview identified himself as gay. "They were just staring. I think they're all secretly in love with me."

He added that he didn't see what all the fuss was about, saying, "I didn't wear a mini-skirt."

School officials, aware that if he used the men's room it might be dangerous for him, then allowed him to use the staff restroom. They did not send him home to put on something more appropriate for an educational setting, but they told him he could no longer wear clothing that causes disruptions. And that was the correct decision on their part.

Escobar saw otherwise. He dropped out of school and contacted local media, and since then has reportedly been contacted by the national media as well. As the story grows, don't be surprised to see Cobb trashed as a community of "hate-mongers" and "gay-bashers," etc. As anyone who lives here knows, that is far from the truth. Cobb, like any community, has its share of those with narrow minds, but we suspect the overwhelming consensus here is that schools are meant for learning - not for acting out as fashion provocateurs.

It's possible that Escobar's actions might well be part of the continuing changes in our culture, and that the day may be just around the corner when it is routine even for high school, and even younger, children to attend school in transgendered attire. That day is not here yet, not quite. But it's one more issue that the Cobb school board - and its counterparts around the country - had best assume will arrive sooner than later, and start getting ready for.