Walking through the hallways of South High School has not changed much since last year, except for one thing: the dress code seems to be very lenient this year and it has caused some controversy amongst those attending the school. What is so different though? Is there even a set dress code? Well, there is. The big question is, how well is it enforced? Some students may argue that the dress code this year was a great adjustment, but some disagree.

What Students Think of the Dress Code

Kenyon Shelton, a Senior at South High, claims that the dress code is much better now:

“So my opinion on the dress code is that, we should have had the dress code like this for a while now, I’ve never really understood why we can’t have hoods on, I don’t think anyone would hide anything in their hoods. But I like it how it is, and I think it should stay this way, people get to have better-looking outfits now in their opinion. So I like the new dress code.”

Ariana Fox, a Junior at South Highschool, had a different opinion:

“I believe the dress code at South this year is extremely lenient. With it being extremely hot recently, I’ve been grateful to be allowed to wear my tank tops and cropped shirts. I think that it can be a severe safety issue for those who walk to and from school, or even the bus stop. In today’s world, no matter how you dress you can be targeted but at times, more revealing clothes lead to more attention to you.”

But let us take a step back what does the student agenda say about the dress code?

What Does the Student Agenda Say About the Dress Code

The student Agenda shares the belief that influences the dress code and why this belief is:

“We believe that students should dress for school in an appropriate manner. Think about
employability skills. Clothing designed to attract undue attention is inappropriate.”

Though not all-inclusive, the following are general criteria:

Clothing and head coverings cannot contain anything depicting or advocating
gang/violence, criminal activity, use of alcohol or drugs, pornography, or hate speech.

Students must always wear their Student ID while in the building.

Students must wear clothing including both a shirt with pants or skirt, or the equivalent (for
example dresses, leggings, or shorts) and shoes.

Clothing must be suitable for all scheduled classroom activities including physical
education, science labs, wood shop, and other activities where unique hazards exist.

Head coverings must allow staff to see the face completely, including the eyes, nose, mouth,
ears, and chin area. Head coverings include hats, hoods, bandanas, scarves, durags,
sweat bands & hair nets.

An Inclusive Dress code

Last year you might have noticed a dress code more lenient on one gender. Ariana Fox believes that this gender leniency centered around the men, and the ladies faced backlash for clothing choice:

“I think the new dress code has a lot more leniency to the women of South High this year and I’m honestly all for it. Last year they were a lot more strict on what we’d wear due to the “distraction”. This year they’ve realized we cannot control other people’s urges when they see what we are wearing. I believe that as long as our bits are covered, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

The argument remains whether the dress code is fair or unfair, Do you think it is?

Sources:

Student Agenda: https://www.usd259.org/Domain/2969