Recently, students have come together on social media to protest their school 's dress codes. There are thousands of stories all over the internet of teens being shamed, oppressed, and embarrassed by school staff for their clothing. School dress codes today are outdated, sexist, and unfair and need to be amended. I consider this to be an issue in my high school as I have found many of my peers have been a victimized by the school dress code. I have witnessed teachers shouting down hallways full of students to call attention to a girl’s shorts that are shorter than fingertip length. But, in turn, they let boys go an entire day in the school with inappropriate pictures such as naked women or lewd phrases like “Blow Me” on their shirts. This Many dress codes are decades old with little revision year to year. Administrators need to accept that times are constantly changing. As said in a CNN article, “Nineteen percent of the 7,800 students surveyed in middle and high schools across the country said they were prevented from wearing clothing deemed “inappropriate”...” (Sorto par. 5). Some school dress codes are unconstitutional and overly broad. This leaves a lot of room for school officials to enforce it and interpret it as they want. Dress codes should allow students to express themselves and be comfortable in a safe school environment. Students should not have to worry about distracting the opposite gender, and constantly pulling down their shorts in fear they will be humiliated if a teacher calls them out. They were created to prevent students from wearing things that promote violence, pornography, hate speech, alcohol and drug use, and profanity. Not to restrict our first and fourteenth amendments, which state our rights to freedom of speech and expression, and equal Students in high school are fourteen to eighteen years old and are much more mature and have more self-respect than adults seem to think. This allows us to be comfortable in what we wear and express ourselves more freely. Schools enforcing dress codes also does not allow parents to raise their children as they would like. Parents have to abide by these rules too, which leaves them little control over what their child can wear. As the parent, they should have first say in what their child wears anywhere which is why dress codes are not necessary. Parents do not want their child wearing something they find inappropriate anymore than school officials do. School dress codes today are outdated, sexist, and unfair and need to be amended. Many school dress codes are archaic in comparison to our current generation. They are discriminatory towards lesbians, gays, and transgenders and over sexualize adolescent girls. And, dress codes are a violation to our First and Fourteenth Amendments. The modernization of school dress codes is long overdue, and should accommodate to our present high school
Dress codes are essentials for all schools across America. Dress codes will set the tone for students to be safe because they will help reduce violence, increase student safety, and provide a positive learning environment.
““Everybody goes to school looking the same, and they can concentrate on what’s going on in school, learning in their classes, concentrating on their education rather than what somebody else is wearing”, Helm said.” (Cavazos, 1) The question to answer is why don’t students follow the set rules regarding the dress code? Some parents and school officials, would argue that set polices are hard for students to follow and others would argue that policies aren’t strict enough. “More than a year ago, about 100 parents and students expressed their outrage at the board meeting saying the dress code was too strict and limited freedom of expression.” (Ford, 1). Unlike the Easton Area School board, Lima City Schools left their policy open so students would not have to wear the same uniform every day if they wished not to. They have options within the set policy.
The Dress Code is also to help from distractions like weird, strange clothes, it often distracts the students from learning. Not only that, but in High School there is large groups of gangs, and they can’t wear clothing that represents them and wear anything offensive, because then less violence will occur.
Dress codes have become a typical affair for public schools. The weight of this matter only gets heavier with time, as fashion trends evolve with haste. Accordingly, the debate for and against dress codes still stands. This essay will summarize, make an argument, and analyze Krystal Miller 's article "School Dress Codes."
One main reason public schools have uniforms / dress code is because in 1996, President Clinton allowed the school uniform movement and said, “If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms.” This gave schools the power to control the students with dress code. A few pros about having dress code in public schools are prevention from formation of gangs, identify intruders, resist peer pressure, and take away social barriers. But the cons give more reasons on why not to have dress code. Some are violation of freedom of expression, “Band-Aid” on school violence, bully targets, financial issue for certain families, and difficult to enforce. Dress code can vary from a button down solid polo with a tie, to solid colors, navy / khaki pants, to any polo shirt without offensive print / sayings and unholy jeans. Dress code also can exclude tattoos, baggy clothes, holes, scarves, leggings, strapless garments, and visible piercings (except in ear).
The belief that public schools should enforce strict dress codes has been the topic of many controversial and heated debates throughout history. Although it is uncommon for public schools to require uniforms, every school has some type of dress code. Elizabeth Forward High School in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, is no different than the rest of the nation. When caught violating the dress code, some teachers will choose to ignore it, whereas others will send the student to the high school office. If sent to the office, students are penalized with a day of in-school suspension instead of being allowed to call for a change of clothes. At first glance, the prohibition of tank tops, jeans with holes above the knee, and shorts and skirts shorter than fingertip length, among many other guidelines, seems reasonable, but after further reconsideration, it is clear that the dress code at Elizabeth Forward High School is ridiculous and hypocritical. I think that Elizabeth Forward High School should lift the harsh policies because of the temperature fluctuation in the building throughout the school year, recent trends among teens, and the hypocrisy associated with the dress code.
Parents and their children are constantly arguing about the way students dress in school. This debate has become a national conversation which has been going on for more than a decade. However, there still hasn’t been a final resolution. The questions “Why do I have to wear the uniform today?” or “Can I wear this t-shirt because the color matches with my school t-shirt?” have become part of our everyday lives. Before we go any further, we have to understand the difference between uniforms and dress codes. A uniform is simply a garment worn that is the same in all cases and at all times. Whereas, a dress code is a set of rules regarding the required manner of clothing in a certain context. For instance, a school might not allow students to wear
Dress code enforces the modest dress of students, preventing bullying and distractions.Numerous people believe clothing is a distraction and when eliminated the school environment is more professional and gives a better education to a student. Authority figures consider the school apparel enforcements are constitutionally sound, not affecting the child’s right to freely express, and providing a professional and working setting causing a better learning environment and decreased amount of bullying due to clear differences in appearance. However, opposers disagree with the restrictive code because of its limitations on individuality
America’s school systems seem to have many issues concerning students receiving a quality education without distraction. A current debate argues weather a dress code policy is efficient or takes away from student’s expression. Administrators at schools should regulate a dress code policy because the system improves discipline and student’s attention, reduces social conflict and peer pressure related to appearance, and dress code provides a more serious learning environment.
Slowly growing in popularity, this problem spotlights exclusively one problem in our world today, a problem in today’s society, a problem that urgently needs to be solved. First and foremost, the main problem is how male’s dress code differs from female’s dress code. “Guys can sag their pants down to their knees, but god forbid you see my bra strap” (Teenager Post #16538). On many accounts, schools have been more lenient towards guys dress code violations rather than girls dress contravention. On one account, there were three dress code violations, two of which were guys and the last one was a girl.
We see stories Social media has more stories of girls being sent home because of dress code violations. Maybe the problem isn’t the students, but dress codes in general. Dress codes ultimately disrupt the pursuit of knowledge for the students, encourage gender bias, and can be dangerous. If we want the younger generations to succeed in the education system, we should utilize school uniforms. Uniforms in schools from elementary to high schools, will promote gender equality and facilitate student safety.
Choosing what to wear for the day. This is what most students are thinking about when they wake up. Students need the latest fashion in order to fit in, but some clothing may not be acceptable to wear in school. School dress codes are denying students their right to dress how they want, but the dress code is important for the students and their learning. Students are beginning to stand up and want to be heard. Some students are taking action and want the dress code to become less strict but some schools are doing the opposite for safety issues and for the students healthy learning environment. Dress codes are important for a strong and healthy learning environment and is also reducing violence in many schools around the country.
Every morning students are faced with the decision of what to wear. However, many students automatically have to rule things out because of the dress code policy at their school. Dress codes constantly restrict students from being themselves and having control of their body and what they put on it. It says in the constitution, we have the right to express ourselves without being oppressed and punished. Some might say they have plenty of room to express themselves, but in reality they don't.
Magazines and other media sources have converted teens’ priorities from their dedication to acquire knowledge into obsession over the latest trends. To combat this, educational institutions have begun to patrol the way the students dress. However, with the copious amounts of apparel available, it is impossible for teachers to govern each student’s attire using identical standards. In addition, personal judgement and perspective from teacher to teacher varies, perpetuating inequality amongst students. The solution to this problem is simple: replace strict dress codes with those that require consistent appearances. Uniforms allow students to focus on learning while promoting safety and professionalism, along with aiding each household economically.
The final reason, and possibly the most important of the three to change the dress code is that by telling a students that they have to change, a teacher or administrator is putting the value of the other students’ education above the dress code offender. Most often, the reason a student’s are told to change because their outfits are too distracting. a pair of shorts isn’t harming anyone, nor is it offensive. Are shoulders and legs so arousing that it completely stops anybody from being able to focus at all? Then, what will the suspect think? He or she can’t wear what she wants to because the education of the male students in her class is more important? It puts a student in a very tough spot because they are forced to make the decision between wearing what they want or wearing something that takes who they are away from