Dress Code Dilemma

Dress Code Dilemma

Dear Dr. Pettigrew,

Imagine this situation: I walk into my third period class and my teacher says to me, “Joell I think your skirt is too short. You need to get it checked by the office.” I do not understand why my first or second period teacher said nothing to me about my skirt. However, I go to the office, and wait for the principal or vice principal to measure my skirt. Forty-five minutes pass and it is time for my fourth period class. Finally, the principal steps out of her office and measures my skirt. According to the dress code, a skirt has to be four and a half inches above the knees, but mine is five inches. I now have two options: 1) I could put on my gym clothes that I have worn in gym class all week or 2) I could sit in the in-school suspension room, missing more classes until one of my parents can bring me a change of clothes. If I choose not to put on my dirty gym clothes and both of my parents are not able to bring me a change of clothes, then I am forced to sit in the in-school suspension room for the rest of the day. In this situation, I chose to have my mother bring me a change of clothes. When she arrived twenty minutes later, she was furious and demanded to speak with the principal. She wanted to know why her daughter had to miss three classes.

This experience examines a policy I struggled with while attending Mars High School. There is a great deal of confusion about what is considered legal or illegal according to the dress code. Students’ getting cheated out of class time is the detrimental result of this confusion. Now that I have graduated, I want to express my concern because my younger cousin is going to be a freshman next year and I do not want her to face the same hassles.

I feel our administration places too much emphasis on the specifics of the dress code and forces students to miss important education.