Body Piercing, Tattooing and the Public School Dress Code

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Body Piercing, Tattooing and the School Dresscode

Body piercing in high schools definitely isn't a new subject to me. I have had many run-ins with my school administration about ear and other body piercings. Because of my multiple piercings in my ears, the counselor and the principle have told me before that I cannot have any body piercings. Under other circumstances, I might except that answer. However, since the school dress code does not touch on body piercings in the handbook they cannot say anything and therefore, I can have my body pierced anywhere that I want to and they cannot do anything about it.

Though I can understand the school's view on things, I still have my own personal opinions. I know that the school worries about people bringing extra attention to themselves by having things like body piercings and tattoos, but I don't really think that they have any business telling the students how they can and cannot dress. I can also see where they might think that the student runs a risk of getting the jewelry pulled out of their skin if they rough-house too much or if they aren't careful. However, I feel that the student can make that decision on their own.

My side of things varies greatly from theirs. I feel that the decision should remain completely up to the student with the piercing. I also think that the students have the right to decided if the ring or jewelry interferes with their education. Personally, I don't feel that anyone's jewelry interferes with my own education. I know several people that have their navel, nose, tongue, eyebrow, cheek, and lip pierced and it doesn't seem to bother any of them or their classmates and piers. Although I am on the side of the people who want to have the right to keep their piercings, I do feel that people can easily go overboard. If I walk down the hall and see an individual of either gender that has multiple facial piercings and jewelry hanging all over their face, then I think that it would bother me. I think that a maximum of three facial piercings would still allow the student to look very different without attracting too mush attention. You could always get as many piercings as you want on parts of your body that doesn't show in public.

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