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Dress code policies is a problem that needs to be addressed. We know this because of how many women and sometimes men of color and discriminated because of what they are wearing. The main problem and most common is with the girls. This is because schools believe it is a distraction to the boys. There is a big problem with that because it is suggesting that harassment towards a female is because of what they wear. I myself have witnessed friends get dress coded for wearing something that reveals their bra strap or their shoulders. Schools are the right venue to address this problem because it happens most often in schools and leads to a higher level of insecurity and belief in it being a females fault or seeing black men as criminals, supporting this idea where students will learn. Additionally, it takes away from precious learning time for young minds who will be impacted.

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In this article, the writer talks about experiences she had with missing class time, as well as her friends, from being dress coded. One time, she was wearing a cropped t-shirt and jeans and got sent to the principal, where she missed a whole period.one of her friends got sent home, and missed out on learning, just because she was wearing something that the school didn't approve of, but no one else cared about. Something so small takes away from what you go to school in the first place; learning.

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From our intern podcast archive: Youth Radio teen reporter Ihlari Halliday asks, "Is the dress code really worth a student missing out on important parts of their education?"
The staff at my high school play no games when it comes to the school's dress code. Almost every day, I see at least five people getting called out by one the vice principals, teachers, or security guards roaming the campus. With all these adults on the lookout, you'd think they'd be watching for students who are skipping class or starting fights; but they're simply looking at what students are wearing, debating weather or not it fits the school's idea on what's appropriate or not.

School dress codes are about more than spaghetti straps - they can also reinforce disparities rooted in race, class, and gender. At some schools, black girls report being given detention for having natural hair or wearing extensions . Others say dress code violations unfairly target female students, or reinforce outdated gender norms. So what does that mean for our fashion choices as start another school year?

Take an incident that happened to me at my high school: It was hot, so I wore a cropped top shirt, with dark blue jeans, with no holes or rips on them, to class. Sure, technically, I wasn't in dress code, but none of my classmates were staring at me or causing a commotion. After all, we've seen way more scandalous outfits on Instagram.

Just as I was getting comfortable in my first period class, the door opened and a security guard walked in. He asked my teacher if he could take me to the principal's office because of the way I was dressed. A short walk and a long wait in the principal's office later, I was back in class wearing my friend's PE shirt. It may sound like no big deal, but the whole incident caused me to miss the rest of my first period class. It was only art class, so I could easily catch up, but what about those with AP classes? Or important math classes?

It made me wonder, is the dress code really worth a student missing out on important parts of their education?

I'm not the only one who thinks our dress code policy is pointless. My friend Tavonne Larkin, 19, says she's always been told the dress code is about keeping students "safe," but she doesn't really get it.

"I mean, nobody's dressing that bad to where we're not safe," she said.

I agree. I mean how much harm could a tank top really cause? Although I don't know the reason behind our dress code policy, I just assume it's to prevent people from getting distracted . But the way I see it, the dress code itself is the real distraction. This policy causes students to fall behind in their classes.

My friend, 18-year-old Parris Grayson knows all about that. "I get sent home, and I don't like being sent home because I gotta miss out on school work for wearing something that no one cares about," Parris said. "That's stressful because I miss out on school work and miss out on getting a good grade."

Getting dresscoded at my school looks SO different depending on your grade level. My friend Tavonne says that if you're a freshman, you might get away with it. But if you're a junior or a senior, the chances of you staying on campus are slim. Boys get away with tank tops, but not girls. And I notice that more "developed" girls are usually the ones getting in trouble, versus the girls who are naturally slim. Parris and I have matching jumpsuits that go all the way down to our ankles. Hers is pink and mine is black. She wore her jumpsuit to school the day after I wore mine, and she was pulled out of class because a teacher complained the way it hugged her body was "too revealing."

And it matters. If you get dresscoded too much, you don't just risk missing out on class. you can also get barred from going to prom, rallies, or being able to leave campus for lunch.

The way I see it, it's unfair to tell someone that what they're wearing is inappropriate because of how it fits their bodies. The way a person's body is shaped is usually out of their control.

But honestly, if teachers are the only ones who are uncomfortable, then who has the real problem?

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When School Dress Codes Distract From Education - YR Media

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From our intern podcast archive: Youth Radio teen reporter Ihlari Halliday asks, "Is the dress code really worth a student missing out on important parts of their education?" The staff at my high school play no games when it comes to the school's dress code.

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In this article, they talk about the criminalization of males of color done by the dress code. for example, a black male student was wearing a do-rag and was told to take it off because "the cameras can't recognize him". This is positioning black males as potential criminals. White males wearing hats or hoods are much less likely to get dress coded rather than a black male, and the risk of discipline from it is much higher for a black male than a white male.

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How dress codes criminalize males and sexualize females of color - kappanonline.org

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Too often, school dress codes are enforced in ways that disproportionately impact students of color - both male and female. "I am aware of what makes me feel uncomfortable. If what I wear bothers someone else, it says more about them than me."

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This article discusses examples of times where the dress code was taken to the extreme, even close to arresting a girl for wearing a shirt that exposed her collarbone and shoulders. It also talks about a black student who was threatened to not be allowed to come back to school if she didn't change her hairstyle from her afro to something more "tamed". While dress code policies aren't allowed to be discriminatory, it doesn't stop schools from doing it anyway. So even if the policies have restrictions of things like that, and there can be some consequence of it, schools still do it.

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Last week, a school principal and security guard threatened a senior named Summer at Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, North Carolina, with arrest for violating her school dress code because she was wearing a shirt that showed her collarbone and shoulders. Defiant, she spoke out - protesting the discipline and refusing to budge until the principal called her mom - though she did put on a jacket. After the school suspended her, threatened her with expulsion, and barred her from walking in graduation, many of her classmates protested her treatment on social media - and the case blew up in the press.

Such nonsense isn't confined to North Carolina.

The same week, a Massachusetts' charter school made headlines for penalizing two African-American sisters for violating their school dress code by wearing their hair in braids with extensions. The state attorney general has ordered the school to modify its policy, and the ACLU, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights have jointly filed a complaint with the state education department on her behalf. And a similar case just arose in Florida, where a student, Jenesis Johnson, was told her Afro was "extreme and faddish and out of control" and told she could not return to school unless she changed her hairstyle.

These cases are the latest examples of schools drawing mounting protest - and even legal action - based on their dress codes. Yet dress codes are ubiquitous, which may leave you wondering where the line is between a permissible dress code and unlawful discrimination. The short answer is that while public schools are allowed to have dress codes and uniform policies, they cannot be discriminatory or censor student expression.

Here are a few of the basics on what public schools can and can't do when it comes to dress codes.

Dress codes can't be explicitly discriminatory. That means that while dress codes may specify types of attire that are acceptable, these requirements should not differ based on students' sex or their race, for that matter - though race distinctions in dress codes tend not to be overt. This is because, under federal laws protecting against discrimination in education, Title IX and the Constitution's equal protection guarantee, schools can't base either a dress code or its enforcement on sex stereotypes - generalizations about what types of clothing or appearance are appropriate for a boy or a girl. For example, a dress code can't require girls, and only girls, to only wear skirts or dresses and boys, and only boys, to wear pants or a jacket and tie. The same goes for ceremonial events and special occasions, like prom, yearbook photographs, or graduation. A school can specify "formal attire," or even "gowns or tuxedoes," but it can't require that girls, and only girls, wear gowns or that boys, and only boys, wear a tux.

All students, whether transgender or cisgender, must be allowed to wear clothing consistent with their gender identity and expression. Again, this is because the clothing we wear is part of the way we express our identity and because schools can't stereotype students' appearance or behavior based on their gender or sex assigned at birth.

Dress codes that are targeted at or unevenly enforced against particular groups of students may violate laws prohibiting race and sex discrimination. Dress codes are frequently unevenly enforced against girls for wearing clothing that is considered a "distraction" to boys in the classroom - reinforcing stereotypes about how "good girls" dress and privileging boys' ability to concentrate over girls' comfort and ability to learn.

Though today's dress codes are unlikely to be explicitly race-based, there can also be stark racial overtones. The Malden policy - in addition to prohibiting hair extensions, a style predominantly worn by Black girls - also prohibits "hair more than 2 inch (sic.) in thickness or height." The policy thus effectively prohibits many Black students of either sex from wearing their hair "naturally" without cutting it extremely short - making it abundantly clear which students the school is concerned about distracting versus being distractions. This type of intersecting race and sex discrimination is illegal.

Schools can't discriminate based on the viewpoint expressed by your clothing. The Supreme Court has recognized that public school students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." The First Amendment prohibits schools from picking and choosing which views students are allowed to express. All views have to be treated equally, so long as they are not obscene or disruptive. This means that if a school permits items like t-shirts with slogans, buttons, or wristbands, it has to permit them no matter what message they express.

Grooming codes regulating hair length, jewelry, or ear piercing can raise many of the same issues, though the courts have been less consistent about applying antidiscrimination laws in those contexts. For this reason, protections may vary greatly based on where you live. Note also that school dress or grooming codes may have to be adapted when they conflict with students' religious freedom, such as prohibiting headscarves.

What this boils down to is that schools' authority to impose dress codes is not unlimited. Students should be informed of their rights so they can speak out if there are violations. And school administrators would do well to reexamine their dress codes to guard against being the next target for protest, whether in the classroom, on the internet, or in court.
Click for a handy fact sheet outlining your rights related to school dress codes, gender, and self-expression.

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5 Things Public Schools Can and Can't Do When It Comes to Dress Codes

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Last week, a school principal and security guard threatened a senior named Summer at Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, North Carolina, with arrest for violating her school dress code because she was wearing a shirt that showed her collarbone and shoulders.

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In this article, the writer discusses who many instances where girls and even transgender students are targeted for what they wear rather than boys. It also sends a message that if a girl is harassed by a boy, it is their fault because of what they were wearing. Additionally, it causes a sense of shame and insecurity, as well as making more developed girls a target. An example of this was when a middle school in IL banned leggings and yoga pants, because they were "distracting", meanwhile girls were just trying to dress comfortably.

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Topic Summary

Over the years, schools have implemented student dress codes to address a wide range of issues, some of which have been quite controversial. For example, in the late 1960s and 70s, young men with long hair were sometimes physically attacked by their classmates and, as a result, many schools required boys to wear their hair cut to their ears or shorter. In the 1990s, there was a push for dress codes to prevent promotion of gang-related violence. In recent years, a desire to stop conflict over designer labels and create a more "professional" school environment resulted in dress codes and uniforms becoming more popular.

A few years ago, student dress codes made headlines because several groups of students-predominately girls-began to question and protest school dress codes because they thought the policies were unfair. Their words quickly traveled via social media and news articles. The young spokeswomen said that: (1) the dress codes unfairly target girls and transgender students; (2) they send a message to girls that if they are harassed by boys, it is their fault; (3) they feel judged and shamed by the dress codes; and (4) that a different standard is applied to girls who are more curvy and developed than other girls.

One example took place at Haven Middle School in Evanston, IL where over 500 students signed a petition opposing what they'd been told was a full ban on leggings and yoga pants. Many girls wore yoga pants or leggings in defiance of the ban. "Not being able to wear leggings because it's 'too distracting for boys' is giving us the impression we should be guilty for what guys do," said Sophie Hasty, a 7th grader at the school, "We just want to be comfortable!"

Age

11 and up

Questions to Start the Conversation

What do you think about students who protested their school's dress codes?

Do you agree that dress codes unfairly target girls and why?

Why do schools have dress codes?

What do you think should be included in a dress code?

What is on your school's dress code that you don't agree with and why?

Question to Dig Deeper

(See the More Information section for articles and information that address these questions.)

How can principals, staff and students work together to come up with a dress code that feels fair?

If students don't agree with school policies, what should they do about it?

What are other ways that sexism is perpetuated in schools?

Idea for Taking Action

Ask: What can we do to help? What actions might make a difference?

Conduct a survey to find out what students think about your school's dress code. Distribute the survey to friends, classmates and online friends and compile and share the results, along with recommendations.

Talk to a teacher or school administrator about convening a committee (comprised of students and staff) to explore an update of the school's dress code policy.

Write a letter or article for the school newspaper about dress codes or another school policy for which you have a strong point of view.

More Information

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What's Fair and Unfair About Student Dress Codes?

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Topic Summary Over the years, schools have implemented student dress codes to address a wide range of issues, some of which have been quite controversial. For example, in the late 1960s and 70s, young men with long hair were sometimes physically attacked by their classmates and, as a result, many schools required boys to wear their hair cut to their ears or shorter.

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This article brings light to the targeting of girls involved in the dress code policy. It is designed to keep girls from distracting boys with what they wear. There are a few examples in the article of instances where this has happened and made clear it was against the female, but one that stuck out to me was a teacher telling the girls who were getting dress coded that they were distracting the boys. Another one that stuck out was that it is not just specifically girls, but black girls are targeted way more as well, whether it be braid extensions or head wraps.

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School dress-code controversies have been trending on the web in recent months, fanning a controversy over whether schools are enforcing the rules in ways that discriminate against girls.

In one of the latest episodes, a viral video initially meant to instruct students on the dress-code policy at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas, drew intense criticism last month for depicting only girls as rule violators. In St. Louis, Oakville High School's principal is captured on video apologizing to parents after telling female students they should not show off their bodies for fear of "distracting" male classmates. And a Roman Catholic school in New Orleans came into the internet spotlight when a 6th grader was forced to leave the classroom, in tears, for having braided hair extensions, which were against the school's hair policy.

Schools with strict dress codes often claim that such regulations prevent in-class distractions, create a workplace-like environment, reduce pressures based on socioeconomic status, and deter gang activity. However, in an age of #MeToo and easy internet access, controversy is increasingly cropping up over whether excluding students from the classroom for violating dress codes is worthwhile, and whether such rules are disproportionately enforced against girls, and especially those of color.

The website Change.org now says it's hosting more than 400 open petitions against individual school dress codes. The majority have been created by students, and many of the petitions' titles assert that their schools' dress codes are sexist or unfairly enforced.

"These rules aren't neutral: many target girls, and especially black girls, by regulating skirt length and headwraps," a report on school dress codes in the District of Columbia that was compiled by the National Women's Law Center states. "And the rules aren't applied equally, either. Students report that black girls, and especially curvier students, are disproportionately targeted."

Lost learning time

Nationwide, 53 percent of public schools enforced a strict dress code during the 2015-16 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But, data on who's being punished for dress-code violations and how the penalties are being meted out are harder to come by. The study by the NWLC takes a rare quantifiable look at the issue.

Released in April, it examines the experiences of 21 black girls who attend or attended 12 District of Columbia schools, including charter schools, and analyzes districtwide student-discipline data.

In the one-on-one interviews, all of the girls reported experiencing or witnessing dress-code enforcement in their schools. Common punishments for those violations included missing class time or facing suspension, as a result of hair, makeup, or clothing styles that were deemed inappropriate. Since the report's release, two of the schools have made changes to their dress policies.

"[Dress codes] sit at that intersection where they impact girls differently; they impact black girls differently," said Nia Evans, the NWLC's manager of campaign and digital strategies and education. "And when you add discipline to it, it's really a disaster."

The concern is that students who may already be struggling academically fall farther behind in class when they miss too much time serving suspensions, changing clothes, or waiting while administrators measure their skirt lengths. Nationwide, African-American girls are 5.5 times more likely than their white counterparts to be suspended from school, but it's not clear what proportion of those punishments stem from dress-code issues.

Adrienne Dixson, a professor of education policy, organization, and leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, believes dress codes can prevent self-expression among students. Additionally, girls of color, who are more likely to wear styles such as braids, hair extensions, and Afros, are more likely to be disciplined, as the Louisiana 6th grader was.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, dress codes are legal as long as they do not "treat boys and girls differently, force students to conform to sex stereotypes, or censor particular viewpoints." (This includes protection for transgender, non-binary gender, or any other students who may choose to dress in nontraditional ways.)

In some cases, the protests from students and parents are making an impact.

Victoria Schantz was a senior last year when the Women's Empowerment Club at Indian Trail High School in Kenosha, Wisc., decided to take on the district's dress code.

Schantz, who posted about the protest on the ACLU's website, readily joined in, remembering feeling objectified by her teachers after having been pulled out of class for her clothing, given temporary clothes, and sent home to change on multiple occasions. One day, after being sent home twice-once for wearing a shirt deemed inappropriate and a second time for wearing leggings and a baggy shirt-the school called her mother to tell her that Schantz would have to spend the rest of the day completing her classwork alone in the office.

After reviewing 3,000 petition signatures and discussing the issue at six board meetings and two working sessions, the board agreed with Schantz's club and created a more lenient dress code, which will be implemented this year. Changes include allowing students to wear yoga pants and leggings.

Schools' responses

Like the Kenosha district, many of the schools that have found themselves in the internet spotlight so far this year have issued apologies or scaled back their dress-code policies.

Marcus High School's principal admitted that the video, which was an alternative for the annual fashion show that informs students of appropriate attire, "absolutely missed the mark" by featuring only girls. Oakville High School's principal apologized to parents at an open house for her comments about girls distracting boys, promising that she will issue a similar apology to students during the school day; however, an official public statement had not been released as of press time.

Following a lawsuit brought against Christ the King Parish School by the Louisiana 6th grader's family, the policy prohibiting hair extensions has been rescinded.

While some schools have responded to dress-code controversies with a more lenient dress code or by switching to uniforms, others, such as Alameda High School in California and Evanston Township High School in Illinois, decided instead to reform their codes completely.

The new dress code in Evanston begins by stating that it "supports equitable educational access" and "does not reinforce stereotypes." The code outlines that students cannot wear clothes that depict hate speech, illegal items, or profanity; clothes that reveal undergarments (aside from visible straps or waistbands); and accessories that could be considered dangerous.

Essentially, students must wear a shirt, pants, dress, or skirt, and shoes, all of which do not pose a threat to another student or staff member. Everything else is fair game.

"We wanted students to know that your body is your body, and we want you to feel proud and comfortable in your own skin," said Superintendent Eric Witherspoon, who helped reform the dress code.

The new dress code was implemented this past school year and, according to Witherspoon, the school has not received any negative feedback.

"The school did not fall apart, education kept going on, and students did not become more disrespectful," Witherspoon said. "We have students of all different races, body shapes, gender expressions, and backgrounds, and the great thing is that they now are able to express themselves."

Social media posts raise equity questions about dress codes

A flurry of social media posts raise equity questions about schools' enforcement of dress codes:

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Do School Dress Codes Discriminate Against Girls?

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A spate of viral videos is sparking questions about whether school dress code policies unfairly single out girls.

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This photo shows the common perception of dress codes. It pokes fun at the ridiculous rules set in place to prevent girls clothing from distracting boys, such as a sleeveless top. It is depicting what schools think will happen if a simple top is worn.