School Dress Codes

The prominent reason behind the various overdone school rules regarding dress is the loose power that administrators have been given. They have been “reserve[d] the right to determine if a clothing item or accessory is appropriate for school” (Carroll High School Student Handbook 2010-2011 18). The officials at school are using their own personal opinions to judge the students’ dress. Since styles change as time goes on, the generation in control and the

In Fannett-Metal School District’s Student Handbook, it says that, “Students that do not dress appropriately may be excluded from regularly assigned activities or programs.” Parents also may have to bring clothes to the students for them to change into. For the Fannett-Metal School District, if you are found to be breaking dress code, you are sent to the office, get a phone call home, and possibly have a parent pick you up. You also are asked to change and receive after your first offence. Your second offense, you get and after-school detention and have a parent pick you up from school. If you get dress coded a third time, your parent would be asked to pick you up, and you will receive an in-school suspension. Not only does dress code affect the students, but it also affects the parents of the students that are sometimes are not able to leave their place of work and come to pick up their child for something as silly as a hole in a pair of jeans. Dress codes not only disrupt children’s education and parent’s work, but it also affects other students in that class and the teacher. The teacher has to stop teaching and talk to the student about what he or she is wearing and send them out of class. This puts a pause on the teacher’s teaching and the student’s learning. This means they would not have learned as much as they would if there was no dress code. It may not seem like much one time, but if it happens every day,

School Dress Codes School dress codes can sometimes be viewed as sexist or unfair because some believe that they are “only applied to girls” and that the boys do not really have a dress code, and they can wear whatever they want. Also, sometimes really strict dress codes can take away a person’s freedom of speech or their rights. Some tend to believe that school dress codes need to change. School dress codes are to harsh today, and need to be equally enforced on both genders.

Dress code is put into place to keep students from being bullied for how they dress and how some people may treat them different depending on what they wear. There is a lot of evidence that show students losing time in the class room because they are too worried about there personal apparel. David Brunsma, a sociologist who wrote Uniforms in Public Schools: A Decade of Research and Debate in 2005, says,

Dress codes have some kind of restriction on every single item of clothing, among other things, a girl can put on. Shorts and skirts have to be a certain length—normally mid-thigh or knee length. Tops are required to have a certain size strap or sleeve, and bra straps are not allowed to be seen (God forbid a teenage girl wear a bra to school and her strap is visible). No shirts that reveal midriffs are allowed either. Sometimes the amount of how much a girl’s back is showing is restricted, too. Leggings and yoga pants cannot be worn unless the shirt is long enough where the girl’s fingers touch the shirt fabric, and in some schools they are banned completely. One has to control the amount of cleavage visible, which can prove very difficult for any girl, especially those that

Dress codes are becoming more and more popular throughout the United States; however, this does not mean all administrators agree with them. In fact, there are educators

Have you ever been excluded from learning because of what you wore to school? In most schools, dress codes are set in place to provide a better learning space for all students. Having a dress code can oppress students because students are given the impression that they should not express themselves. Not all families can afford the clothes that abide by the rules. For example, some students don 't have the means to pay for new clothes, so they have to use hand-me-down clothing. Enforcing a dress code can lead to more problems in the long run because of the exceptions made for students who are athletes and cheerleaders. Many school faculty members including teachers and administrators think that keeping a dress code will keep students looking appropriate while learning, but this idea is wrong because it keeps students from expressing themselves and, the dress code singles out women.

It is of no possible argument that some of the most valuable and lasting ideas of life and the world around us are taught and learned at school. Hard work does you well. Cheaters never prosper. Education is the key to success. Girls bodies are a distraction and objects to be inevitably sexualized and harassed. This may sound over exaggerated, but this is the message beings sent to millions of students near and far by the sexist, self-esteem demolishing, unfocused dress codes in schools today. This said, dress codes in schools create a negative environment, putting the focus on the wrong things and ideas, both promoting rape culture and a strong sense of sexism.

Dress code has been proven to be sexist. For example, the staff at schools make female students stand just to see if their shorts are long enough, if their shirts cover their shoulder, if their pants have holes above the knee, or if they are wearing any pants that are tight, which if they are a shirt must be covering their bum. Girls are targeted when it comes to dresscode. Why? All because of how society views their bodies. “It’s telling women and girls that it’s your responsibility to control boys and men and their presumed aggressiveness.”

School dress codes send a loud and clear message, “Your individuality is inconvenient.” (Rowland 22). The constitution guarantees the right to free speech,which can be interpreted as the right to freedom of self expression, and students use clothing to express themselves. Another message that dress codes send is that “the self identity that you want to express does not belong here.” Self expression is not an inconvenience or a distraction, it is the lifeblood of our nation. (Rowland 22). Schools tell students that they should be confident in themselves, but how can they if they cannot express themselves? School dress codes now are more about shielding the boys then protecting the girls which implies that boys are immature. Calling a girl’s clothes distracting is implying that she is at fault for any disruptions. “That 's like saying that because a store has a cash register, it 's the store 's fault if it gets robbed!” (Menza 1). Students are going to be distracted anyways. Sexist dress codes are like saying that an article of clothing, or a body part showing on a female will distract male students from learning. Dress codes should be simple for both genders, everyone should wear clothing that covers up the same area. With dress codes, students are forced to dress the same as other students, taking the individuality out of school, but schools try to send the message, you are individual. Figure 1 shows a strict dress codes for both students and

Dress codes treat students unfairly, mainly targeting females. Many students across the nation-particularly girls- are agreeing with school dress codes being too strict and giving unfair treatment to females. A student from Kentucky was sent home for showing her collarbone, a student from Texas was sent home for wearing yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt that completely covered her backside. A teacher explained that when girls don’t meet the school dress code regulations, they are told they

Dress code is a controversial subject in a lot of schools. Dress code is a set of rules put into place to promote school safety and encourage a positive learning atmosphere where students are not distracted by their peers’ outfit choices (Daniels). This set of rules allegedly is put into place to stop the sexualizing of women by keeping them from wearing “suggestive clothing,” but what is suggestive clothing? Who defines what clothes are seen as “suggestive?” Dress code does more harm than good for students, therefore it should not be present in public schools.

As times have changed school dress codes have not. These dress codes have not been updated and are shaming young girls and woman. The argument for dress codes are saying that dress codes help keep order and discipline in schools as well as self respect. Within that argument I disagree about a majority of those reasonings. “Dress codes have proven to increase student achievement by encouraging students to concentrate more on their studies and less on their wardrobe. A de-emphasis on clothing can also save money, as there will be less pressure to keep up with expensive trends and fashions.” Not only do dress codes target young women by treating them as if they are distractions, they also tend to cost more than normal everyday attire would. The

A dress code is simply a set of rules about what clothing may or may not be worn in a school that each student has to follow. Almost every school has a dress code that their students have to follow by during the school hours. Whether the students’ want to follow it, the policy can help them for a job in the future, because they know what is expected of them. Dress codes in high schools in the United States should be enforced to promote equality to every student to improve his or her educational and social experience.

Second of all, some may feel that dress codes are necessary in schools to prepare the teens for jobs and to make