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Over the past decade, the school dress code has become an increasingly common policy in many communities worldwide. As opposed to the requirements of students to wear specific clothing in the form of uniforms, dress codes provide guidelines through which students are allowed to wear any clothing that meets the school's requirements, whether they pertain to the color, style or cut of the clothing. Consequently, school dress codes are designed to create a certain atmosphere in a school while providing students with a bit of freedom of expression through their wardrobe.

And yet, while many parents applaud the demand of school dress codes as a way to ensure that their children are dressed properly, others question whether the requirement of dress codes in school eliminates their child's individualism.

Experts claim that there are many benefits of school dress codes. Here are some of the most important advantages:

1) A dress code promotes a more serious school atmosphere which emphasizes academics and promotes good behavior.
2) Dress codes have proven to increase student achievement by encouraging students to concentrate more on their studies and less on their wardrobe. A de-emphasis on clothing can also save money, as there will be less pressure to keep up with expensive trends and fashions.
3) Dress codes in school settings reduce social conflict and peer pressure that may be associated with appearance.
4) Studies indicate that a school dress code can reduces the prevalence of certain behaviors which are often expressed through wardrobe such as violence or promiscuity.
5) As opposed to uniforms, dress codes still allow students to wear what they want which leaves students with a sense of choice and expression.

While teenagers will always find a way to express themselves, imposing boundaries can prevent them from resorting to extremes that can sometimes lead to undesirable consequences. School dress codes are a way to teach students the importance of a respectable appearance which is a lesson that can positively impact their self-respect and self-esteem.
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5 Benefits of a School Dress Code. Huge selection of school dress code and uniform skirts.

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Many people say dress codes can be so strict that some kids have to buy new clothes. That could wind up costing a lot of money.

Besides, some people say, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to free speech. That includes your right to express yourself through the clothes you wear and the way you style your hair.

Plus, many kids find it easier to focus when they're wearing comfortable hoodies and leggings.

Dress codes can be confusing too. Some rules can be interpreted in different ways. One teacher may think a shirt is OK while another teacher doesn't. That could lead to unfair punishments.

In many schools, students are pulled out of class for not following the dress code. That's not right, says Scout Richters. She's a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, a group that fights to protect people's rights.

"Kids are in school to learn," she says. "They shouldn't have to be too concerned about what they're wearing."

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What's your opinion? Cast your vote in this big debate.

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From elementary school to high school, school dress codes have always been enforced, dictating what a student can and cannot wear. Schools, though, should have no right to tell students how they should dress. School dress codes should be abolished so that students have the freedom to wear whatever they want to school.

In most schools, girls are prohibited from wearing tank tops, low-cut shirts and shorts or skirts that are "too short." Teachers call out girls who break these rules by saying they're too distracting. But here are my questions: Whom are they distracting and how are they distracting? And shouldn't phones be banned in schools for being too distracting then? Many students attempt to use their phones in class, which is a huge distraction, but they are still allowed in school. Other students distract each other by talking in class, but talking is still allowed. Yet, somehow a girl sitting in class trying to learn is just too distracting because she's wearing a spaghetti-strapped top? And I highly doubt that boys are going to find girls' shoulders and collarbones distracting. But if they do, girls shouldn't be responsible for that; boys should be able to control themselves. These dress codes sexualize women's bodies and reinforce the idea that not only do women's bodies pose an inappropriate learning environment, but are also at fault.

Many people who support school dress codes think that if there weren't dress codes, kids wouldn't know what is appropriate to wear to school. They think that if there weren't dress codes, students would show up to school wearing shirts that have curse words or inappropriate graphics on them. Well, I think that students have at least a bit of common sense of what is appropriate to wear to school. If the legal voting age in the U.S. is 18, and in some countries as low as 16, teens should have the right to wear what they want to school without fear of punishment.

Another reason to abolish school dress codes is that it limits students' self-expression, and freedom. Clothing isn't just a piece of fabric, it's how students express themselves and find their identity. Some feel that schools target students of a different race, ethnicity or cultural background that prohibit things like durag or dreadlocks. Critics argue that these types of dress codes criminalize culture, which results in a lack of cultural diversity in schools. All in all, schools shouldn't have a right to limit what students can wear because it sexualizes females, criminalizes people of color and overall doesn't allow students to express themselves.

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Why there shouldn't be school dress codes

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From elementary school to high school, school dress codes have always been enforced, dictating what a student can and cannot wear. Schools, though, should have no right to tell students how they should dress. School dress codes should be abolished so that students have the freedom to wear whatever they want to school.

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What Are The Benefits Of The School Dress Code?

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Why is it important to follow dress code in school, Can my school tell me what to wear, What are the disadvantages of dress code in school,

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School dress codes have been a topic of debate between students, parents and administrators for decades. While students have sought out avenues for free expression and individuality through their attire, many schools have instituted these policies in an effort to minimize classroom distractions, reduce emphasis on students' socioeconomic disparities and keep schools safe.

Nearly 20% of public schools in the 2019-2020 school year required students to wear a uniform and 44% enforced a "strict" dress code, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Often schools ban items like hooded sweatshirts, baggy coats or jackets and caps, saying these items make it easier for students to hide drugs or weapons, or harder for staff to identify students. Everyday attire like sweatpants, athletic shorts and leggings are also frequently prohibited.

And while the reasons for instituting dress codes often revolve around equity and safety, research shows these policies affect students unequally, with girls and students of color disproportionately facing consequences. In many cases, enforcement makes these students feel less safe, not more.

"I think that the schools where we see the over-policing of dress and the enforcement of dress codes, it's not surprising that those are mostly students of color," says Courtney Mauldin, an assistant professor of educational leadership in the teaching and leadership department at the Syracuse University School of Education. "There's a lot of traditional, antiquated ideas around what it has to look like to do school. And I think people have good intentions, but they're very slow to change when it rubs up against what they've known."

The result of these policies, the report found, is that this subset of students often faces more disciplinary action related to their attire, which in turn causes them to be removed from class more frequently and miss out on more instructional time. The report calls on the U.S. Department of Education to provide resources to school districts to help them make their dress code policies more equitable.

In an email statement to U.S. News, the department said it will evaluate "effective ways to share information with school communities regarding ways to fulfill students' civil rights on this important issue."

Who Do Dress Codes Target?

In 2020, two Black students in Houston were suspended when school administrators determined their hair, which they wore in dreadlocks, did not comply with the school's grooming policy, Houston Public Media reported. Policies on hairstyles are often included in school dress codes.

GAO estimated that 93% of school districts have some kind of dress code or policy, though not all of them are considered "strict." More than 90% of those rules prohibit clothing typically worn by female students: items such as "halter or strapless tops," "skirts or shorts shorter than mid-thigh," and "yoga pants or any type of skin tight attire," the report says. Meanwhile, it found that only 69% of districts were as likely to prohibit male students for wearing similar clothing, like a "muscle shirt."

"There can't be any skin showing," she says. "It's very one-sided and very sexist, to say the least, no matter what. The reasoning that they usually give is so that way you're not distracting anyone."

The GAO report also found that about 60 percent of dress codes require staff members to measure students' bodies and clothing to make sure they comply, which can involve adults touching students, GAO reported. "Consequently, students, particularly girls, may feel less safe at school," the report states.

Financially, dress codes can also be a challenge for low-income families, especially if they're required to buy specific clothes to adhere to a uniform.

However, income disparities are also among the reasons some schools put dress codes in place. Uniform policies can help to disguise "the haves and have-nots," says David Verta, principal at Hammond Central High School in Indiana.

Other policies significantly affect students of minority racial or cultural groups, the report found. For example, more than 80% of districts ban head coverings such as hats, bandanas and scarves, while only about one-third say they allow religious exemptions and "a few" allow for cultural or medical exemptions.

"Are we actually targeting clothing, or is this specific to targeting a student's identity?" Mauldin says. "Because if we're targeting student's identities, then we're sending a message that you don't belong here and you're disrupting the space simply by being, and that's not the message that we want to send to students, especially if schools are supposed to be these places of learning and joy and belonging."

What Student and Parents Can Do

Under federal law, dress codes cannot be explicitly discriminatory. While dress codes may specify acceptable types of attire, they cannot differ "based on students' gender, race, religion or other protected characteristics," according to the American Civil Liberties Union, citing civil rights law and the U.S. Constitution's equal protection guarantee. For example, public schools cannot dictate that male students can't wear a skirt, or female students can't wear a suit and tie, if one is confirmed acceptable for the other.

"Educators are human and we are learning and making changes, but we have to learn from families if there is something we are missing," she says. "We want students to feel comfortable and happy to be in school."

Student voice is key to effecting change and first-hand stories can help, McNeiley says.

One avenue for student advocacy is social media. "Platforms like TikTok and Instagram allow youth to raise awareness around issues in their schools and community," Mauldin says. "This often gets the attention of school and district leaders."

What Schools Can Do

If dress code issues arise in a classroom, educators should handle them discreetly so as not to embarrass a student, says McNeiley, who was previously a middle school counselor. She says doing this goes a long way in building positive relationships with students.

Often teachers are simply following their school's policy so as to do their job. But Mauldin challenges educators to question the status quo and think critically about how their school's dress codes could be problematic. She says administrators should regularly audit their discipline data and see if it reveals any trends of unconscious bias related to race and dress code.

Cardillo says schools and parents should also prioritize educating students at the elementary and middle school levels about boundaries and how to look at their peers respectfully without sexualizing them.

School administrators need to listen to their students and adapt to the changing environment around them, Mauldin says. She notes that formal dress is becoming less a part of work culture than it was years ago, with many jobs offering work from home options.

The new policy, implemented prior to the 2022-2023 academic year, allows students to wear clothing that is comfortable and expresses their self-identified gender. Students can wear religious attire "without fear of discipline or discrimination," it states.

"Some kids were not happy just because they had to figure out what to wear. It was so easy for them just to put on the khaki pants and a polo," says Verta, whose school is in the School City of Hammond district. "But overall, I think our kids are a lot happier now without it."

It's a policy that McNeiley says she's proud of and hopes other districts can use as a model.

"In general, in education, there has to be some kind of common sense," she says. "Because at the end of the day, you have to go back to the students ... (and do) what's best for them."

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Students of color and girls are disproportionately punished for violating these policies.

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A North Carolina principal suspended a high school girl for 10 days and banned her from attending graduation and any senior activities because she wore a slightly off-shoulder topto school. An assistant principal in Texas drew on a Black boy's head in permanent marker to cover up a shaved design in his hair. And a transgender girl in Texas was told not to return to school until she followed the school's dress code guidelines for boys.

These are only three examples across the country over the past few years demonstrating how school dress codes disproportionately target girls, Black students, and LGBTQ students.

A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that not only are school dress codes not equitable, but districts that enforce them strictly also predominantly enroll students of color. The findings come as schools increasingly clash with parents, students, and civil rights advocates over disciplinary procedures used to regulate what students can-and cannot-wear to school.

The report also calls on the U.S. Department of Education to develop resources and guidance to help schools create fairer policies and more equitable ways of enforcing them-particularly when it comes to disciplinary actions that cause students to miss out on learning time.

GAO researchers analyzed dress codes from 236 public school districts (there are more than 13,000 districts) and conducted interviews in three of them from August 2021 to October 2022.

Alyssa Pavlakis, a school administrator from Illinois who has studied school dress codes, said the findings were not a surprise.
"It does not shock me that the reports are showing that these school dress codes are disproportionately affecting black and brown students," she said, "because our schools were built on systems that were supposed to be predominantly for white people."

Pavlakis's research, published in 2018 with Rachel Roegman, concluded that school dress codes often sexualize girls, particularly Black girls, and effectively criminalize boys of color as their detentions and school suspensions mount.

What dress codes prohibit and who is impacted

Ninety-three percent of school districts have dress codes or policies on what students wear to school. School and district administrators said the policies promote safety and security for students. Prohibitions against hats or scarves, for instance, allow educators identify who is a student and who is not.

More than 90 percent of those dress codes, however, prohibit clothing typically associated with girls, commonly banning clothing items such as "halter or strapless tops," "skirts or shorts shorter than mid-thigh," and "yoga pants or any type of skin tight attire," the report says.

Many of those policies, for example, prohibit clothing that exposes a student's midriff. About a quarter of them specifically bar the exposure of "cleavage," "breasts," or "nipples," which are aimed at female students.

Almost 69 percent prohibit items typically associated with boys, such as "muscle tees" and "sagging pants."

"My girls definitely feel anger towards the school for not educating the boys and making [the girls] aware every day what they wear can be a distraction to the boys," the report quotes an unnamed parent in one district as saying. Some parents told researchers the policies promote consistency with values their children learn at home.

Other policies fall heavily on students from racial or cultural groups that have traditionally been in the minority, according to the report. More than 80 percent of districts, for example, ban head coverings such as hats, hoodies, bandanas, and scarves, but only one-third of these dress codes specify that they allow religious exemptions, and a few include cultural or medical exemptions. Fifty-nine percent also contain rules about students' hair, hairstyles, and hair coverings, which may disproportionately impact Black students, according to researchers and the district officials that GAO staff interviewed.

For example, 44 percent of districts with dress codes ban hair wraps, with some specifically naming durags, which are popular among African Americans for protecting curls or kinky hair, or other styles of hair wraps.

The report also cites dress codes with rules specific to natural, textured hair, which disproportionately affect Black students. For example, one district prohibited hair with "excessive curls" and another stated that "hair may be no deeper than two inches when measured from the scalp," according to the report.

Pavlakis said while the report did not contain details about how dress codes affect transgender, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary students, it's an important aspect of their inequitable nature.

How districts enforce dress codes

About 60 percent of dress codes make staff members measure students' bodies and clothing to check adherence to codes-which may involve adults touching students. An estimated 93 percent of dress codes also contain rules with subjective language that leave decisions about dress code compliance open to interpretation, the report says. The interpretations often target LGBTQ and Black students, according to experts quoted in the GAO report.

Schools that enroll predominantly students of color are more likely to enforce strict dress codes, and also more likely to remove students from class for violating them. This is particularly concerning because more than 81 percent of predominantly Black schools (where Black students make up more than 75 percent of the population) and nearly 63 of predominantly Hispanic schools enforce a strict dress code, compared to about 35 percent of predominantly white schools.

"When we take away that instructional time because they're wearing leggings, we are doing our students a disservice," Pavlakis said. "And at the end of the day, we're doing our black and brown students a bigger disservice than anyone else."

The report also found that schools with a larger number of economically disadvantaged students are more likely to enforce strict dress codes. Dress codes can be challenging for low-income families to adhere to, especially if they're required to buy specific clothing items, such as uniforms, or can only allow their children to have hairstyles approved by schools, experts quoted in the report said.

Finally, schools that enforce strict dress codes are associated with statistically significant, higher rates of exclusionary discipline-that is, punishments that remove students from the classroom, such as in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, and expulsions.

That means students of color and poor students-most specifically, Black girls-are most likely to face consequences for violating school dress codes, causing them to miss class time. The more class they miss, the more likely it is that they will fall behind in school.

While dress code violations do not often result directly in exclusionary discipline such as suspensions and expulsions, an estimated 44 percent of dress codes outlined "informal" removal policies, such as taking a student out of class without documenting it as a suspension.

Districts also commonly list some consequences for violations of their dress code policies, such as requiring students to change clothes, imposing detention, and calling parents or guardians.

"In order for students to get to the point where they can learn, they need to feel a sense of belonging. They need to feel cared for and loved," Pavlakis said.

"If we spend part of our day telling students, 'you don't look the right way. You're not dressed the right way, you could be unsafe because you have a hat or a hood on,' kids aren't going to feel loved supported a sense of belonging,"

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School Dress Codes Aren't Fair to Everyone, Federal Study Finds

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Girls, Black students, and LGBTQ students are disproportionately impacted by school dress codes, says the GAO's report.

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Are school dress codes a tool for student safety or a restriction on their self-identity? The question has been debated for years.

But more recently, dress codes have come up as an equity issue after reports that Black students, girls, and LGBTQ students across the country are disproportionately affected by school dress codes. Some districts have imposed harsh punishments on those groups of students, including in- or out-of-school suspensions, for violations of dress codes. And a federal Government Accountability Office report recently concluded there's a lack of model policies to help school districts set dress codes that are fair to everyone.

Here are answers to some common questions about dress codes.

Ninety-three percent of school districts have dress codes or policies on what students wear to school, according to a Government Accountability Office report. These policies are meant to provide guidelines on what students can and can't wear, including specific pieces of clothing, hairstyles, and accessories. Dress codes can vary widely in what they restrict. Some schools even require students to wear uniforms. Most often, though, dress codes ban clothes that the district considers revealing, distracting, controversial, or pose a safety threat to students.

The vast majority of dress codes-90 percent-ban clothing associated with girls, a Government Accountability Office report found. They also impose limits on the types of clothes students can wear. Commonly banned clothing items include halter or strapless tops, "skirts or shorts shorter than mid-thigh," and "yoga pants or any type of skin tight attire," the report says.

About a quarter of them specifically bar the exposure of "cleavage," "breasts," or "nipples," which are aimed at female students. Many ban bare midriffs as well.

Almost 69 percent of dress codes ban clothing associated with boys, such as "muscle tees" and "sagging pants."

And 59 percent of dress codes have rules about students' hairstyles that disproportionately impact Black students, the GAO report found.

In the GAO report, the agency found that most dress codes cite safety as a reason for having guidelines.

But the enforcement of dress codes often ends up penalizing students for their clothing or hair, rather than protecting them, some researchers argue.

"A lot of times these codes, while they're supposed to be designed to keep students safe and to be able to engage in learning, do more harm than good, and are not inclusive of all identities," said Courtney Mauldin, an assistant professor of educational leadership at Syracuse University.

Some things banned in dress codes, such as hate speech or hate symbols, can actually do the intended job of protecting students, however. Symbols or wording that promote racism, homophobia, or intolerance should be banned by school dress codes, Mauldin said, because dress codes, like all other equity and school climate initiatives, should aim to make all students feel welcome.

"We have to have some very hard and fast things about what's not allowed or tolerated," Mauldin said. "But we can't simultaneously, in that same section of the handbook, criminalize or stigmatize people's culture and religious practices."

Schools have had restrictions on dress for decades, though some of them have been challenged in court. In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Des Moines district violated students' First Amendment rights to free speech after it suspended them for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. But the high court has never ruled on a school dress code in its entirety.

Schools began widely implementing modern-day dress codes and uniforms in the 1990s as a response to "increasing student-discipline problems, particularly from gang violence," according to the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. Gang-related symbols and clothing items began to be banned, for example, as well as clothing that obscures students' faces and makes it hard to identify intruders on campus.

But as the American student body has diversified, many district dress codes still cater to the dominant white culture, Mauldin said. This is evident in schools banning items of clothing, or hairstyles associated with certain groups, like braids or dreadlocks.

Fifty nine percent of dress codes have rules about students' hairstyles that disproportionately impact Black students, the GAO report found.

"A lot of the origins of some of the policies, practices and traditions that we have in school, they're antiquated," Mauldin said. "They come from decades ago, when schools were designed for a certain group of people in mind, which was very much white-dominant culture."

In addition, the enforcement of dress codes is often discriminatory, as the GAO found. Educators who enforce them often unfairly target students of color, LGBTQ students, and girls.

That's because a lot of school dress codes are gendered, and over 90 percent ban clothing worn predominantly by girls.

For example, dress codes sometimes mandate that boys are prohibited from wearing long hair, or specify that girls are required to wear skirts of a certain length.

"There are dress codes, of course, that do distinguish based on gender on their face," said Linda Morris, a staff attorney in the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. "But I would say that there are also other dress codes that are not facially gendered, but still include language that is clearly gendered, and it's clearly targeted at girls, and targeted at hairstyles or pieces of clothing disproportionately worn by students of color."

Enforcing dress codes also can require adults to touch children to measure the length of their skirts or the width of their shoulder straps, which can be unsafe and demeaning, according to Morris.

The U.S. Department of Education is in the process of developing some model policies for schools.

To create their own dress codes that don't reinforce gender or racial stereotypes, districts need to think about the message they're sending to students, Mauldin said. For example, does using words like provocative and revealing unfairly target girls' clothing by implying that girls are dressing a certain way to gain sexual attention or to prompt a strong reaction?

"Those words alone, a very problematic message to girls in a school," Mauldin said. "Also it's a problematic message to all students in the school about what a woman is supposed to look like, how she should be described, and how she should present herself in society."

Equity audits are also good way to analyze what proportion of school discipline is related to dress code violations, and which groups of students are most impacted by it.

"You have to do something with that data and let it speak to transform your policies," Mauldin said. "And you might need to change these policies because overwhelmingly they [impact] particular groups of students."

Students are often the drivers of dress code changes in schools, Morris said, because they advocate against dress codes they find restrictive. Schools should listen to their students and think about the message they're trying to convey through what is banned and what isn't included in a dress code, both experts said.

"You don't want students to feel like there's something wrong with their identities," Mauldin said.

Education Issues, Explained

Go deeper on important K-12 issues with these research-based background explainers from Education Week.

Eesha Pendharkar is a reporter for Education Week covering race and opportunity in education.

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What are they, who do they serve, and do they need to be changed?