As a junior at Bedford North Lawrence I can easily rattle off a list of at least 30 girls, that I personally know, that have had altercations with some aspect of the Bedford North Lawrence dress code. If you fall under the category of female it’s safe to assume that you will have a target on your back (more likely your thighs and chest) at all times. Looking back upon the beginning of the school year and the decisions that were made regarding dress code I can say that, without a doubt, the code itself and its enforcement were not appropriate due to the confusion, animosity, and distrust created between the school and it’s students and parents. The dress code in the handbook was distributed at a poor time, vague, and confusing. Source A is the only written guide provided to the students of BNL upon arrival to first period class at the beginning of the school year. If the administration truly wanted to see the code strictly followed they would hand this code out before the first day of school, as most students have already done their back- to-school clothes shopping prior to the first day, with little or no knowledge of the upcoming rules for the year. While the students are receiving the rules late, parts of Source A make sense in regard to safety such as: no sharp jewelry, no “wheelie shoes,” and no clothing advertising alcohol or drugs. These rules seem to be genuinely looking out for student’s health and best interest, however many rules are simply incomprehensible such as leaving the “back inappropriately bare.” How a slab of skin housing your spine can be sexualized is unknown to me. While there are more examples of specific clothing restrictions that I don’t agree with, and could easily rant about for hours, what ca... ... middle of paper ... ...oday there are increasingly fewer attacks on the student body regarding their clothing, undoubtedly to prevent upsetting more parents. We can see in Source F that this pressure to look a certain way never really ends, and this is true for both men and women. Although this pressure to have a perfect appearance doesn’t stop after high school, the Bedford North Lawrence Community Schools should be understanding and more lenient on some of the less scandalous clothing choices to make students feel comfortable and give them a realistic feel for how people dress and behave in public. In the end, everyone’s body is their own personal business and should not be dictated by another person or shamed for how it is presented, however BNL behaved the exact opposite of this at the beginning of the school year, making the way the administration handled the situation inappropriate.
Life is full of distractions and, for high school students, inappropriate clothing has the potential to grab much attention. However, does the matter of clothing warrant strict rules? I agree that, like alcohol, the students’ attire should have rules regarding whether or not the choices in clothing are suitable for a public school setting. I also agree that violators of school rules should receive punishment for their lack of compliance to the school policies. However, there is a fine line. Some schools, like Carroll High School, are taking dress codes too far. One rule in particular hinders the students’ ability to wear pants with holes in them. It makes sense that holes located in certain places might cause a...
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
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.
"Dress Code!" MasterFILE Complete. Educational Leadership, Dec.-Jan. 2014-2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. This article comes from the point of view of a school principal Thomas R. Hoerr. Hoerr starts of with a comment that was made to him about a young girl and what she was wearing. The comment referred to her undergarments. The author continues to explain the two points he learned, and because of those points, he made his school a casual place. The dress code he established only proclaims to be “neat and clean.” The author saw no problem until the attire came so close as to be dressing at the beach, so he conducted a meeting with his staff and decided something should be said. When the author wrote the work dress guidelines, he got the input of the teachers and what should be expected by each guideline. However, the author only sent out the draft to people who had worked with him for fifteen or more years, so the question arose that the world is changing and he needed opinions from younger teachers. When he received feedback, he was questioned on if some codes really made a difference, and he made some changes. Next Hoerr tells his readers that when they give a restriction on something, they must have a rational reason why. Hoerr’s reason was that the school staff needed to have a professional experience, which make since because some students might not take their teacher seriously if he or she is dressed for bed. This article uses logos by appealing to logic on
Dress codes are essential 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. Dress codes can reduce violence in many different ways. “The National School Board Association estimates that approximately 135,000 guns are brought to America’s 85,000 public schools each day.” (Larry Wilder, Pros of the Dress Code, pg. 1) “Some dress codes require students to have the belt line exposed at all times for fear of guns concealed under clothing.”
““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.
Both Male and Females have complained that the dress code is “sexist and “biased” toward young women. One teenager said that the school should be an all-boys school. Since the code only applies to women. Another student said that “it was humiliating to be pulled aside like an object” to be told that her outfit is inappropriate.
According to greatschools.org, “Enforcing a strict dress code can place the focus of school on clothing and rules, rather than on education.” Most schools have specific uniforms that a child must wear in order to attend. Many children that go to school, have single parents and / or more than one ...
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.
The school is openly telling a young woman in this school what she can and can not wear, and how she can not express her own body at the risk of distracting others. The boys’ dress code regulations is far shorter and is only one sentence. “Boys don’t sag your pants.” These dress code regulations are sexist but hidden with the excuses of what appropriate school attire is. Some girls do not conform to this rule and I do not blame them.
At the beginning of the 20th century almost no parent or faculty had any concerns with how students dressed to attend school. Nowadays, though, this is a giant concern among students, parents, and school board officials. Many arguments have been made over the matter saying uniforms should be required and enforced in schools. But, uniforms should not be required as they ultimately eliminate freedom of expression, promote conformity over individuality, may have a detrimental effect on students self image, emphasize the socioeconomic divisions they are supposed to eliminate, and lastly, school uniforms in public schools undermine the promise of a free education by adding an extra expense for families.
Pickerington School District should require students to have a uniform dress code. The current dress code policy is very minimal and is not adhered to by the students. Faculty overlook the students who don’t abide by the current dress code as it would take away from their teaching time. One of the main concerns that is brought up when the topic of school uniforms is discussed is freedom of expression. Many people worry that not allowing children to wear certain clothing will “stifle their creativity” (p. ) or restrict their First Amendment rights (Nevada, 2008). There are many reasons for having uniforms in public schools. School uniforms have been shown to improve test scores, raise school pride, increase attendance, reduce violence, and teaches students to dress professionally. School uniforms can also avert the wearing of gang colors (Wilson, 1998).
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.
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
While dress codes are a necessity in schools to regulate what is and is not appropriate for the learning environment, the fact that they place blame on females for how they are treated because of their clothing is completely sexist and unfair. Hardly ever is a boy busted for wearing athletic shorts or bro-tanks when he should not be, but as soon as a girl wears leggings or shows her shoulders, she is persecuted and given punishment. This is about as unfair as school systems can be, and it also sends the message to girls that what they perceive as being cute and fashionable is perceived by others as “offensive” and that it is their fault for anything bad that happens to them. These ideas should be changed so girls do not have to feel guilty and boys can stop thinking that their behavior in these situations is acceptable.