Kendra Brown - 2020 Scholastic Writing Entry
Kendra Brown
11th Grade
Is the School Dress Code Strict on Students?
The dress code has been instilled in our school for all our lives. Especially in America, mostly every school a person will go to have some sort of a code for what students can and can't wear. Like any set of rules and laws we follow, it's far from perfect. They're enforced by the adults that control the environment of the school. Many lawsuits have been carried out against schools because of this code and the people that enforce it. The dress code itself was created for students to wear "professional dress".
The Dress Code Violates the First Amendment
The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” As the dresscode limits the wearing of certain clothing and messages from being shown, it is very difficult and nearly impossible to use our First Amendment right.
A very prominent case was the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969). The students of the school devise a plan to protest the Vietnam War and support a truce. They decided to wear black armbands and when the school official discovered this they banned the wearing of arm bands. This didn't stop the students however as they continued despite the new rule. This caused the students to be suspended from school by the violation of the code by being “a distraction to fellow students”. The parents of the student sued the school district for violating the amendment as they were protesting. Justice Abe Fortas, the judge of the case reversed the students suspensions as there was not enough sufficient evidence to prove that it was a distraction to the other students. The dress code heavily restricts the creativity of the students as they do not have a way to formally express themselves. As it was created to prepare students to wear professional dress in the workforce.
The Dress Code is Sexist
There have been many instances where the dress code has shown to be against students in more ways than one. There is blatant sexism between the students according to what they can or cannot wear. Compared to women and men rules, women have a far more strict set of rules than the males. This doesn’t mean men are excluded from being shown discrimination by this code for what they’re wearing.
Males have some struggles especially if they’re a person of colour against the dress code. As most schools require male hair to be short and a certain style. This discriminates against the African and Native culture as Africans sometimes wear locs or braids as a protective style and Natives in their culture are not allowed to cut their hair unless a member of their family or tribe has deceased. A case Alabama & Coushatta Tribes v. Big Sandy School District prohibited Native men of the Coushatta Tribe from wearing their hair long as it went against the dress code. According to the Big Sandy School District, “Boy’s hair must be cut above the eyebrow and above the ear lobe.” Which didn’t exclude people of native origin which is somewhat prominent in the Texas area. Like the other cases above, this violated the students first amendment rights as it is considered a religious practice. Their hair also has a symbolic meaning to their culture which was referring to the Tinker case but court officials considered it as a trend discrediting their culture even more. This caused an uproar and a call for justice for the tribe and their male members. This started to uncover how unequal the dress code was between the different sexes. As females students did not get punished or have restrictions for the length of their hair. In the result of this case, the school has edited their code and added “ Boys hair should be no longer than the top of a standard dress collar unless this is in direct conflict with the student’s established religious convictions, in which case the student may be exempt from the District’s hair code by filing an appropriate written statement with the principal.”
The code is severely strict against women too, mostly for sexist and misogynistic reasons. Several problems with the dress code arise from the south. According to associate professor; Meredith Johnson Harbach at the University of Richmond, “Complaints have been registered across the country, including Virginia, Illinois, New Jersey and Florida over the dress code against girls” (Harbach 1). In Virginia, administrators at Maggie Walker Governor‘s School announced a new short length check on the female students. This rule is heavily flawed against different body types as everyone does not have the same arm to leg length. The catch is if more than 10 students get dress coded for their shorts, the whole female body can wear shorts for a day. A school in Illinois completely banned the female students for wearing leggings as it was “too distracting for the male students”. Same reason in Florida for the rule against thin straps. These circumstances branches further than just the dress code. These rules push the assumption that punishes the woman for a man looking or becoming distracted by seeing the opposite gender. Also it assumes that clothes are the reason for a male’s perversion.
The Dress Code Prevents Learning
When a student gets a violation of the dress code they get taken out of class and sent to the office. When after a long wait, they’re determined if a punishment is needed I believe, “teach them a lesson”. If they’re okay then they’re sent back to class which is after a 15-20 minute of teaching gone for the student because of what they wore to school. On the other hand, if they’re believed to have violated the dress code. They’re sent home for the day or forced to wear an embarrassing and mildly uncomfortable punishment clothing by the school. In some cases, the principal is granted the authority to suspend a student for the clothing that they wear. Having these rules and guidelines and punishments determined by adults heavily disturbs the students learning environment as they are forcibly removed from class. It is hypocritical to instill a code that is supposed to prevent students from being distracted and disrupting the class environment.
The Unfair judgement of Officials Enforcing the Dress Code
All dress codes are different based on the district. Which means none of these rules are legally instated by the state. Which also adds to the point that no qualified officials on campus have to enforce the code. This leaves the job to AP and teachers which are unqualified to judge the appearance of their students and to enforce a punishment based on it. Which are mostly based on their judgement of what violates the dress code or not and not based on strong evidence. While referring to the paragraph above, they can actively hinder a student's learning through their judgement. The way that the authority system is set up opens a hole to corruption and prejudice against the students by AP and teachers. As no authority figure is a person that would never judge one based on their morals or religion. There have been many instances where the authority figures would target certain people for their outfits. In the black community, durags are worn as a way to protect our protective hairstyles like braids and straighten hair while asleep. Due to outside circumstances, these clothes have now been associated with gangs and crime. Many instances they're told to take off the rag for the same reason that it causes a distraction.
The Benefits of the Dress Code
They’re a lot of negatives to the implementation and creation of the dress code that was discussed in this essay. The dress code has some significant benefits to it as well. As school is made to prepare a person to work in the job force, mostly geared to an office or factory like career. Companies have dress codes set in place for their employees and they are supposed to abide by the code. School installed a similar fashion of a dresscode to prepare students for that work environment. It also releases the stress of students being judged or bullied for what they’re wearing. Since the code limits the wearing of some garments it gears students to wear a similar style, especially if it is a uniform being worn.
A Solution to the Dress Code
There can be a common collusion that meets the satisfaction of the education system goals of a professional dress attire for their students while also making the same students feel safe and free of discrimination of the code. Implementing a code that excuses the wearing of religious or cultural wear and the form of protest. The officials enforcing this rule should treat everyone equally by the code of dress and strictly refrain from judgment based on their own religion or moral belief. Also, the punishment for violation should be quick and direct without hindering or causing a distraction of the student’s education. What a student is wearing shouldn’t be the biggest concern in an educational setting.
Works Cited
Fossey , Richard, et al. “Breaking Social Norms at Prom.” Researchgate.net, 2010, www.researchgate.net/profile/Todd_Demitchell2/publication/274566334_Breaking_Social_Norms_at_Prom_Is_There_a_Constitutional_Right_to_Wear_Gender_Nonconforming_Attire_to_the_Prom/links/5522a7400cf29dcabb0e36d1/Breaking-Social-Norms-at-Prom-Is-There-a-Constitutional-Right-to-Wear-Gender-Nonconforming-Attire-to-the-Prom.pdf.
Harbach, Meredith. “SEXUALIZATION, SEX DISCRIMINATION, AND PUBLIC SCHOOL DRESS CODES.” Lawreview.richmond.edu, 2016, lawreview.richmond.edu/files/2016/03/Harbach-503.pdf.
ISD, Big Sandy. “BIG SANDY ISD.” Big Sandy ISD - Dress Code Policy, 2012, www.bigsandyisd.net/241126_2.
Jr., David L. Hudson. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 2007, mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/694/tinker-v-des-moines-independent-community-school-district.
Noethe, Katherine. “U.S. Constitution - First Amendment: Resources: Constitution Annotated: Congress.gov: Library of Congress.” Constitution Annotated, 2006, constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/.
Thomas, Judge. “FindLaw's United States Ninth Circuit Case and Opinions.” Findlaw, 2008, caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1204345.html.
Wilder, Larry. “Pros and Cons of School Dress Code.” Fresno Pacific University News & Magazine, 12 June 2018, news.fresno.edu/article/11/11/2007/pros-and-cons-school-dress-code.
11th Grade
Is the School Dress Code Strict on Students?
The dress code has been instilled in our school for all our lives. Especially in America, mostly every school a person will go to have some sort of a code for what students can and can't wear. Like any set of rules and laws we follow, it's far from perfect. They're enforced by the adults that control the environment of the school. Many lawsuits have been carried out against schools because of this code and the people that enforce it. The dress code itself was created for students to wear "professional dress".
The Dress Code Violates the First Amendment
The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” As the dresscode limits the wearing of certain clothing and messages from being shown, it is very difficult and nearly impossible to use our First Amendment right.
A very prominent case was the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969). The students of the school devise a plan to protest the Vietnam War and support a truce. They decided to wear black armbands and when the school official discovered this they banned the wearing of arm bands. This didn't stop the students however as they continued despite the new rule. This caused the students to be suspended from school by the violation of the code by being “a distraction to fellow students”. The parents of the student sued the school district for violating the amendment as they were protesting. Justice Abe Fortas, the judge of the case reversed the students suspensions as there was not enough sufficient evidence to prove that it was a distraction to the other students. The dress code heavily restricts the creativity of the students as they do not have a way to formally express themselves. As it was created to prepare students to wear professional dress in the workforce.
The Dress Code is Sexist
There have been many instances where the dress code has shown to be against students in more ways than one. There is blatant sexism between the students according to what they can or cannot wear. Compared to women and men rules, women have a far more strict set of rules than the males. This doesn’t mean men are excluded from being shown discrimination by this code for what they’re wearing.
Males have some struggles especially if they’re a person of colour against the dress code. As most schools require male hair to be short and a certain style. This discriminates against the African and Native culture as Africans sometimes wear locs or braids as a protective style and Natives in their culture are not allowed to cut their hair unless a member of their family or tribe has deceased. A case Alabama & Coushatta Tribes v. Big Sandy School District prohibited Native men of the Coushatta Tribe from wearing their hair long as it went against the dress code. According to the Big Sandy School District, “Boy’s hair must be cut above the eyebrow and above the ear lobe.” Which didn’t exclude people of native origin which is somewhat prominent in the Texas area. Like the other cases above, this violated the students first amendment rights as it is considered a religious practice. Their hair also has a symbolic meaning to their culture which was referring to the Tinker case but court officials considered it as a trend discrediting their culture even more. This caused an uproar and a call for justice for the tribe and their male members. This started to uncover how unequal the dress code was between the different sexes. As females students did not get punished or have restrictions for the length of their hair. In the result of this case, the school has edited their code and added “ Boys hair should be no longer than the top of a standard dress collar unless this is in direct conflict with the student’s established religious convictions, in which case the student may be exempt from the District’s hair code by filing an appropriate written statement with the principal.”
The code is severely strict against women too, mostly for sexist and misogynistic reasons. Several problems with the dress code arise from the south. According to associate professor; Meredith Johnson Harbach at the University of Richmond, “Complaints have been registered across the country, including Virginia, Illinois, New Jersey and Florida over the dress code against girls” (Harbach 1). In Virginia, administrators at Maggie Walker Governor‘s School announced a new short length check on the female students. This rule is heavily flawed against different body types as everyone does not have the same arm to leg length. The catch is if more than 10 students get dress coded for their shorts, the whole female body can wear shorts for a day. A school in Illinois completely banned the female students for wearing leggings as it was “too distracting for the male students”. Same reason in Florida for the rule against thin straps. These circumstances branches further than just the dress code. These rules push the assumption that punishes the woman for a man looking or becoming distracted by seeing the opposite gender. Also it assumes that clothes are the reason for a male’s perversion.
The Dress Code Prevents Learning
When a student gets a violation of the dress code they get taken out of class and sent to the office. When after a long wait, they’re determined if a punishment is needed I believe, “teach them a lesson”. If they’re okay then they’re sent back to class which is after a 15-20 minute of teaching gone for the student because of what they wore to school. On the other hand, if they’re believed to have violated the dress code. They’re sent home for the day or forced to wear an embarrassing and mildly uncomfortable punishment clothing by the school. In some cases, the principal is granted the authority to suspend a student for the clothing that they wear. Having these rules and guidelines and punishments determined by adults heavily disturbs the students learning environment as they are forcibly removed from class. It is hypocritical to instill a code that is supposed to prevent students from being distracted and disrupting the class environment.
The Unfair judgement of Officials Enforcing the Dress Code
All dress codes are different based on the district. Which means none of these rules are legally instated by the state. Which also adds to the point that no qualified officials on campus have to enforce the code. This leaves the job to AP and teachers which are unqualified to judge the appearance of their students and to enforce a punishment based on it. Which are mostly based on their judgement of what violates the dress code or not and not based on strong evidence. While referring to the paragraph above, they can actively hinder a student's learning through their judgement. The way that the authority system is set up opens a hole to corruption and prejudice against the students by AP and teachers. As no authority figure is a person that would never judge one based on their morals or religion. There have been many instances where the authority figures would target certain people for their outfits. In the black community, durags are worn as a way to protect our protective hairstyles like braids and straighten hair while asleep. Due to outside circumstances, these clothes have now been associated with gangs and crime. Many instances they're told to take off the rag for the same reason that it causes a distraction.
The Benefits of the Dress Code
They’re a lot of negatives to the implementation and creation of the dress code that was discussed in this essay. The dress code has some significant benefits to it as well. As school is made to prepare a person to work in the job force, mostly geared to an office or factory like career. Companies have dress codes set in place for their employees and they are supposed to abide by the code. School installed a similar fashion of a dresscode to prepare students for that work environment. It also releases the stress of students being judged or bullied for what they’re wearing. Since the code limits the wearing of some garments it gears students to wear a similar style, especially if it is a uniform being worn.
A Solution to the Dress Code
There can be a common collusion that meets the satisfaction of the education system goals of a professional dress attire for their students while also making the same students feel safe and free of discrimination of the code. Implementing a code that excuses the wearing of religious or cultural wear and the form of protest. The officials enforcing this rule should treat everyone equally by the code of dress and strictly refrain from judgment based on their own religion or moral belief. Also, the punishment for violation should be quick and direct without hindering or causing a distraction of the student’s education. What a student is wearing shouldn’t be the biggest concern in an educational setting.
Works Cited
Fossey , Richard, et al. “Breaking Social Norms at Prom.” Researchgate.net, 2010, www.researchgate.net/profile/Todd_Demitchell2/publication/274566334_Breaking_Social_Norms_at_Prom_Is_There_a_Constitutional_Right_to_Wear_Gender_Nonconforming_Attire_to_the_Prom/links/5522a7400cf29dcabb0e36d1/Breaking-Social-Norms-at-Prom-Is-There-a-Constitutional-Right-to-Wear-Gender-Nonconforming-Attire-to-the-Prom.pdf.
Harbach, Meredith. “SEXUALIZATION, SEX DISCRIMINATION, AND PUBLIC SCHOOL DRESS CODES.” Lawreview.richmond.edu, 2016, lawreview.richmond.edu/files/2016/03/Harbach-503.pdf.
ISD, Big Sandy. “BIG SANDY ISD.” Big Sandy ISD - Dress Code Policy, 2012, www.bigsandyisd.net/241126_2.
Jr., David L. Hudson. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 2007, mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/694/tinker-v-des-moines-independent-community-school-district.
Noethe, Katherine. “U.S. Constitution - First Amendment: Resources: Constitution Annotated: Congress.gov: Library of Congress.” Constitution Annotated, 2006, constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/.
Thomas, Judge. “FindLaw's United States Ninth Circuit Case and Opinions.” Findlaw, 2008, caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1204345.html.
Wilder, Larry. “Pros and Cons of School Dress Code.” Fresno Pacific University News & Magazine, 12 June 2018, news.fresno.edu/article/11/11/2007/pros-and-cons-school-dress-code.