School Dress Code

Bella Yancey

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School dress code is something emplaced in schools everywhere, but is mainly targeted toward girls. With strict regulations on cropped shirts, shorts lengths, and ripped jeans, it becomes difficult for the female student body to find appropriate things to wear, especially in the hot weather. While with boys, as long as they do not run around completely shirtless, can practically wear whatever they want except for hoods and hats. No sane person would wear long pants and an oversized shirt in 80-degree weather, but that is what Powell High school expects of their female students. With certain trends beginning to come into style, it is difficult for girls to find shirts that are not slightly cropped or distressed as well as companies not making shorts that go past fingertip length while retaining their comfort level. In addition to longer shorts being difficult to find, the fingertip rule affects everyone differently. For example, one student may have a longer wingspan, making finding shorts that abide by the rules a nearly impossible task without having to buy basketball shorts. Another student may have a short wingspan and be able to wear shorts that other female students would be dress coded for. At the end of the day, everyone's body is different and what may be dress code appropriate for one student may not be dress code appropriate for another. This is why the administration needs to have a little grace for the student body and not publicly embarrass students if they are out of the dress code. I have heard from other students that teachers will verbally pick them out in class and shame them. But what if this is a low-income student that can not afford new clothes? Or a student who sufferers from low self-esteem who will take this teacher's comment as a personal complaint about their body? Teachers do not know the whole story about why a student is not in the dress code, and should not pretend they do by acting righteous and verbally humiliating students. Instead, they should pull the student aside, ask them kindly why they are not in the dress code, and handle the situation as they see fit. By jumping to conclusions and assuming that a student purposely broke the rules, it makes a teacher already biased on how to address the student in question without even communicating with them first. If teachers wish to be treated with respect, then they need to show the same understanding, respect, and grace that they expect from the student body.