Strict 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

Ever thought that not having a school dress code could lead to violence over something so simple as to what a person might own or wear? To many people 's surprise, school dress codes can be a very important topic to discuss at any and every public school. This essay will summarize, critique, and evaluate the article "School Dress Codes" by Krystal Miller.

America, the “land of the free, and home of the brave.” Unfortunately, this doesn 't mean “land of the free to wear whatever one desires.” In fact, school dress codes are taking away American students’ self expression, infringing on their freedom of speech, and enforcing sexist discrimination all over the country. A recent case, that occurred at Tottenville High School in Staten Island, New York, blatantly displays the negative effects dress codes are having on students, especially females. In the first couple of days of the semester, this high school managed to give 200 detentions to students for violating the dress code. Ironically enough, 90 percent of these students were girls (Swafford). The discouraging part is that schools are easily able to get away with this kind of discrimination. This is made possible by state laws that give school boards the power to enforce whatever dress codes they think are necessary to promote a distraction free learning environment, maintain discipline, and to push students to dress similarly in order to create a uniformity in the schools (“School Dress Codes”). The purpose of dress codes may be to create a distraction free learning environment; in reality, however, they produce an environment where students feel discriminated against and aren 't free to express themselves.

“School officials have a responsibility to provide a safe, secure, and productive learning environment.” Therefore, schools have dress codes because the safety of students is very important. A teacher’s number one priority is their student’s safety and to have a good learning environment. All students should have the same right to their education. Is the clothing the students wear distracting others from learning? It is distracting to others, but that is not the only reason why schools have dress codes. Schools also have dress codes because it helps prevent students from being bullied based on their clothing, especially if they wear something offensive or inappropriate. It also helps them prepare for professional environments as adults in the workplace.

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

What if I told you that, you don’t have a choice in what you can wear to some schools. Mostly high school and that’s the time when all children should express themselves and grow as individuals. Many schools around the world has a dress code policy that the students must follow. In America dress code policy has been around for more than 100 years. The first school dress code law was established in 1969 by the U.S. Supreme Court. “The constitutionality of these codes was first challenged in a 1969 U.S. Supreme Court case called Tinker v. Des Moines, which involved students who were banned by their school district from wearing black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. The court ruled in favor of the students saying they had the right under the First Amendment to wear the armbands; this set the overall standard in place.” (-Kimberly Yates). Many school board believe that dress code rules for students within their district to promote a safe, disciplined school environment, prevent interference with schoolwork and discipline. Some of the dress code policies in school are to strict and stop students from expressing themselves. This is still going on to this day, in schools around the world dress code policies interfere with a students’ right to self-expression. I believe that dress codes should be banned from schools and to let the students wear what they want to wear. Dress codes should be banned because the students are not able to express themselves, the system is a

School dress codes are the most enforcing and restrictive policy out of all the school policies. I know everyone hates and don’t understand why we need dress codes. Sometimes dress codes can be ridiculous and nonsense. I’m on the same page as them. Dress codes informs high school students what we can wear and cannot wear.

During the last few years, dress codes have been implemented and accepted more and more. Dress codes are commonplace and most schools consider them a necessity. Dress codes, however, need to be revised. Dress codes objectify students’ bodies and often interrupt the students’ learning environment more than the student violating the dress code. For example, if a student has dyed hair, then there is still focus inside the classroom, but if the teacher dress codes them, all the class attention is lost. Dress codes should be revised to not interrupt the learning environment and be less objective and shameful to students’ bodies.

In schools students should have some limits on what they can wear and say. Even thought there should be limits it shouldn't be so strict on the limits to where the student aren't able to have any free speech in school. When there are to many limits in the school that may cause a problem as well like no one having individuality. If the school does have limits on what their student may wear they shouldn't have a lot of rules on that but if they do they should have a few like no swear words or inappropriate symbols on the clothing the student and staff wear. If the school has clothing rule the student shouldn't get punished (in trouble) unless their clothing is distracting other students from education (learning). If the school feels that it is necessary to have limit on things like this they shouldn't have to

“Lift up your arms!” My 6th grade teacher ordered. Unwillingly, I stood from my seat and raised my arms. Naturally, my shirt raised along with it, exposing my midriff. Dresscoded. I followed her to a drawer in the back of the classroom, the whole classroom staring, as she pulled out a long, oversized T-shirt with the school logo on it. It nearly swallowed me whole. The embarrassment of being in the limelight made my cheeks hot and flushed. When I asked her what I was dress-coded for, she said that my shirt wasn’t ‘work-appropriate’. Irritated, I walked back to my desk and rejoined my friends to continue our lunch. Suddenly, a boy in our class returned from a basketball game in the 90º weather and pulled up a chair to our table. My entire body was sweating, and the long pants and t-shirt I was being forced to wear didn’t help. He leaned back in his seat and stretched his arms behind his head. His T-shirt rose up and exposed his stomach, but my teacher said and did nothing. I envied how attention wasn’t being drawn to him because his stomach was exposed. I Instantly pointed out the double-standard. Why is my shirt considered provocative while his is considered work-appropriate if they both expose the same midriff?

In the end, the dress code is only set in place so students aren’t strayed away from their learning. It may seem that the dress codes are targeted at young women, but it’s set in place to benefit the whole as a group, and teach the young girls modesty. Although, what one person may find acceptable, another person might not. To prevent this situation as best as possible, most schools will set forth standards that are straight forward and what they think is reasonable for the majority. There have been some cases where students have felt that their first amendment has been taken away.

Implementing dress codes should not be in educational institutions of any level. This debate over enforcing dress codes in school environments has been a controversial subject in the educational institutions for years. Administrators have struggled to find effective ways to decrease the number of disciplinary issues. The primary solution that they have implemented is the introduction of dress codes. The introduction of dress codes has been a common way to help decrease the number of disciplinary issues. The topics of bullying, gangs, violence, and freedom of expression are thrown into this conversation, causing controversy within educational institutions. The implementation of dress codes causes students to abstain from freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and most of all are discriminative towards females.

Personally, I believe that schools should be able to set rules in the way a student dresses inside their campus for several reasons. With dress codes, students are able to “fit in” much more comfortably

Clothing is one of the main ways that students can express themselves and establish themselves as an individual. Anything that subdues the fundamental right of personal expression, without justification has no place in a democracy. There are numerous examples of school administrators overstepping their power to limit expression that does not disrupt the school atmosphere. In Pennsylvania, students won a suit in the U.S Court of Appeals on the grounds that the school’s administration had very little reason to ban bracelets with the popular breast cancer slogan “I heart boobies” as it was in support of something positive and did not actively inhibit learning (Association). Additionally, a federal judge in the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled against a school policy banning the anti-drug message “drugs suck” with the school arguing the word “suck” was too vulgar (Hudson). These examples fall outside of what dress code is meant for. This authoritarian use of censorship does more harm to students than it does to promote a scholarly environment. Someone should not have to give up unnecessary rights just because they are at school. This subordination of students is threat to American liberty and democracy.

High-schools shouldn’t enforce a dress code because it limits student’s self- expression. A one’s way of dressing is a personal and creative thing that only he or she should have control over.