Why Do Schools Have Dress Codes

Dress codes are not helping schools like they are meant to do; they are actually harming students in the school. Dress codes shame students and make them insecure about their bodies. They also disrupt precious class time that is vital to students. Buying clothes to fit the school dress code is costlier than some families can afford. Not only are dress codes stifling, but they are also unfair toward specific body types and different genders. Dress codes also decrease a student’s ability to be different from all of their peers in the way they dress. Schools should not have dress codes because they are sexist, unfair and disrupt class time.

We all know that there is different rules in almost all school dress codes that apply to guys and girls. For example, at some schools guys can't wear beanies during class but girls can. A girl can't have shorts that reach before their fingertips when they have their arms down. I personally feel like there shouldn't be “dress code” because for many people they like to express themselves by what they wear, why should schools make people feel uncomfortable? Not having uniforms can make the students feel competitive on what they wear and where they have got their clothes from. For some students those things do matter, but for some of them it doesn’t matter they’re going to school to learn, not to impress people at school. Some schools hate what their students wear to school, but don’t they have like favorite pieces of clothing that they also love as much as the students do? If schools don't like what they are seeing in the student’s “outfits” each day then they should start making students to wear their school uniforms. 15 year old, Miranda Larkin, was sent to the nurse's office for wearing a short skirt that violated the school dress code, and they made

To some, arguing over student dress code seems trivial and useless. To others, it goes deeper than that. Dress code might seem like the typical “first world problem”, but to the average high school student, gaining the freedom ‘no dress code’ grants is incredible. The fact of the matter is, the rigid enforcement of student dress code has gone too far in today 's society and dehumanizes us as citizens. Although school dress code attempts to promote modesty and protection, it also reinforces gender inequality, smothers individualism, is unconstitutional, and should not be enforced in public schools.

Any girl that has ever attended public school knows about the struggle of a dress code. On those hot days as the school year approaches, girls pour over their closets trying to find an outfit they won’t get called out for or sweat to death in. All their dresses are too revealing, their shorts too short, and their shirts reveal way too much shoulder—or so the schools say. Girls have been attacked time and time again with dress codes. Policies are almost always directed strictly towards girls; some even specify for girls only. These dress codes are not only sexist towards women, but they limit female’s freedom of expression and their choice to feel comfortable, and they do not teach female’s to have self confidence.

For example, Arkansas public school dress code law, “requires districts to prohibit the wearing of clothing that exposes underwear, buttocks, or the breast of a female student. (The provision prohibiting exposure of the "underwear and buttocks" applies to all students.)” (Zhou). Boys are held to a different standard than most young girls in public school. Girls’ clothing choices are seen as a distraction by schools, and are thus giving the idea that girls’ education is secondary to what they wear. A town in New Jersey launched a movement called #IAmMoreThanADistraction, which is inspired by girls who have been told that they are the sole reason behind dress code. Telling girls at a young age that they are a distraction is only preparing them for a male dominated world. Phrases like this must end for dress codes to be put to rest.

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.

You're in English class. The teacher asks a question to the whole class, and you raise your hand. Then your shirt goes up. Instead of getting a smile from your teacher for getting the answer correct, you get a one-way trip to the main office. Well, this is what happens to so many girls at school every day. The dress code Brings girls self-esteem down, and you can miss So Many hours of class time.

Currently, the student dress code in the 2015-2016 Payette High School (PHS) Handbook is completely vague. It mentions in depth dressing issues regarding hats and graphics on clothing. Now the exact wording regarding how much the body needs to be covered is, “Dress shall not disrupt or distract from the educational process.” As I discussed this issue with students that currently attended PHS, I noticed a correspondence among different stories. Due to the fact that there is not a specific dress code, different teachers have diverse interpretations of what disturbs the educational process. Another aspect of the dress policy includes, “Violations of dress code may result in removal from school until dress is appropriate.” Students, particularly female students, express

The school dress code is a very controversial topic for boys and girls but mostly girls. They treat girl from a young age that we should be ashamed of our bodies and cover up because we're too distracting to the boys. Yes there does have to be some restrictions to the dress code but others that say our sholder is to distracting is taking it to far. Girls should be proud of themselves and really the dress code is tearing down their confidence. If were to distracting to the boys for even just showing a little bit of shoulder that boy should be talked to that girls shouldn't just be seen as an object of pleasure and that there human to. Instead of doing something like that we are told to cover up and should be ashamed for even showing even a little bit of our shoulders or stomach. We do however do need a dress code so people don’t just

This article makes the reader see the dress codes are becoming an issue for school and the student’s education. In a small Texas school district, over 700 students were suspended in a single month (Essex). That is a lot of students getting in trouble and just for clothes. I do believe school are going too extreme when comes to the dress code and how they punish the students who break the dress codes. One-day suspension for the first violation, a two- day suspension for the second violation, and two-day plus loss of school privileges for a third violation (Essex). Missing school or class time don’t really help the children with anything and sometime it will be over something stupid like; the collar bone is showing. Another thing about this article,

Since I first started attending school, I have always been apart of public schools. The dress code was always very lenient. I believe if students made appropriate choices they would be able to decide how they want to dress. However, some students have not, which has led to this decision right now. From the article “NYC High School Dress Code Crackdown”, the author states,”While there are parents who are objecting to the crackdown, there are many who agree with the school’s policy. One mother said some girls at the school have dressed too provocatively. “The girls wear these little booty shorts…,” said one mother, 34. “They look like they’re training to work in strip

I feel that dress code is not only unfair, but non reasonable. Kids should have freedom to dress how they’re generation dresses, and feel okay or not get punished for it.

Statistics show that 57% schools now have a strict dress code. Students should be able to wear whatever they want to. School dress code is mainly targeted at girls. Boys dress code is not strict and usually never get dress coded which is unfair.

Dress codes in schools were originally put into place to prevent students from dressing inappropriate clothes that would distract from their learning, while still allowing students to express themselves freely. However, these days, schools are enforcing dress codes that differ greatly from their original purpose. Schools shouldn’t be able to enforce dress codes because they’re unreasonable, they waste people’s time, and they enforce sexist ideals.

Every school has a dress code in their extensive school handbook. There are mountains upon mountains of dress code lists that go on and on forever, and many people are wondering why. Many schools believe that school dress codes help the environment of the school. That is why there are so many more dress codes pertaining to girls than to boys, just what OCR thinks as well by stating a dress code, “Shorts too short. Shoulder straps on her top too thin. Skirt exposing too much skin above her knees,” (Hardesty). School dress codes are not beneficial for students because they are not able to express their opinions, they are unfair mostly to girls than boys, and they have grown too much over the years.