School Dress Codes Worth the Work?

Garland Independent School District in Dallas, Texas, is battling students and parents over the enforcement of a new dress code. Some feel that new policies are not being applied equally to the students. Administrators are wondering if it’s worth the work.

The school fielded questions from parents and students, and most concerns centered on how confusing the new policy was. One girl was sent to the reassignment center (RAC) for wearing spaghetti straps, but the next day another girl wore spaghetti straps and nothing happened. Officials said, “It’s like speeding. We’re not going to catch everyone out there, but when we see it, we’re going to call you on it.”

Principal Wendell Brown placed much of the responsibility with parents. "We as adults have allowed this to get out of hand," he said. "Very few of those kids ... purchase their own clothes. They should never, ever have clothes at home that are inappropriate to wear."

Dress Code Violators Wise Up

It’s been said before and I’ll say it again- kids are smart. Whenever you place restrictions on them, they know exactly how far they can push the envelope without getting caught. And now, it seems, they’ve even come up with a back up plan.

A Toledo, Ohio school recently moved to a stricter dress code. Students were employing their right to express themselves, but to the school it was just too tight, too baggy, or not enough coverage. Many of the students were wearing t-shirts that promoted alcohol, cigarettes, or sex, and school officials grew concerned.

"This is school, not the mall," one official explained. "This is an educational institution, and it's not a social event. The expectations are that you dress accordingly."

Now, when a student wears a shirt considered to be inappropriate, there is a consequence- the bright yellow “dress code violator” t-shirt. Of course, it wasn’t long before the students wised-up. Students know when their pushing it, and “90 percent of them "miraculously" have something else to wear in their locker,” said the principal.

School Uniforms Counter Gang Activity

Reports continue to come in from schools who thank school uniforms for a drop in gang related activity. The uniformity puts students on a level playing field, eliminating the competition that comes from fashion and social status.

A Clarksdale, Mississippi, school has been striving for just that. Principal Olenza McBride said she and her staff are doing their part to disrupt gangs, and have achieved what they call, a “gang neutral territory.”

Assistant Principal Jesse Murphree, a former football coach now in charge of school discipline, runs a tight ship. There were six fights last year, but non of them were gang related.

"It's a lot about choices," he said. "We don't give them any. They don't need choices. They need instruction."

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Baggy Clothes a Threat?

A member of a Florida school board is concerned that baggy clothing could be a threat. After watching a video on school security, he was astonished to see how many weapons a person could conceal in a large shirt or pants.

The Florida school adopted a strict dress code in 2000, but loosened it a year later. The board is now proposing to re-examine the code in light of the potential threat. School officials are having trouble enforcing the code, and the board is now convinced that if parents were aware of the threat of baggy clothing, they would be lining up to request a more strict policy.

Other concerns include provocative clothing, and an over-emphasis on style. One board member stated that if they could not enforce the dress code, they would push for school uniforms.

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The Right Way to Adopt a School Uniform Policy

Whenever a school considers adopting a school uniform policy, the question, “How do we go about it?” always comes up. A Roselle Park, New Jersey, school district got the ball rolling with a series of public hearings. State law actually requires public schools to hold a hearing when considering a uniform policy.

The hearing proved an excellent way to approach the subject. Parents were able to come and give input and hear what others were thinking. For those opposed to the introduction of a school uniform policy, concerns ranged from the cost of the uniforms to the issue of whether school uniform policy, now adopted mostly by inner city school districts, is appropriate for a middle-income town like Roselle Park.

Among other reasons, parents who favored school uniforms said uniforms help instill discipline and level the playing field for all students. It was difficult to gauge from reactions at the hearing which side in the debate had overwhelming support, but a survey of parents showed more people supported the introduction of uniforms than those opposed to it.

An important element of the discussion was a review of other districts that have adopted uniform policies, what their reasons were, and what their experience has been. Getting parents involved from the start and learning from other schools are two elements that always ease the process.

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Schools Report on Benefits of School Uniform Policy

Normandy School District in St. Louis, Missouri, joins a trend in public schools that is sweeping across the nation with their new mandatory uniform policy. The number of U.S. public schools with some sort of uniform policy rose from 3 percent in 1997 to 12 percent in 2000, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Another survey is coming in 2006.

The effect of uniforms on academic achievement is not easy to measure. For Principal Joanne Clay of Johnson-Wabash Elementary School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, the difference lies in attitudes. Her school has a voluntary uniform policy with about 50 percent participation."There seems to be more focus on education rather than fashion," Clay said. "It really decreases the negativity on fashion."

The feedback from parents at Arrowpoint Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District has been positive, said Principal Sue Fields."The parents are supportive, and it's easier on the pocketbook," she said.

Senior Nadia Dragges, 17, of Normandy, likes the convenience of uniforms."Now I know what I'm going to wear in the morning," she said. "I believe that the idea will spread with other school districts."

Junior Kevin Eaton, 17, thinks the public views Normandy's students in a different way."

Parents compliment us on how we look," he said. "I've had no problem with it, because I went to some Christian schools before I came here, and they had uniforms."

And there is still room for individuality, even while wearing a uniform."

I'll wear different earrings and rings," sophomore Blockton said. "You want to stand out a bit."

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The Trouble with School Dress Code Exemptions

Many schools offer school dress code exemptions and many do not. Those that do not offer exemptions can tell you that most of the complaints don’t come from students, but parents. Now many parents have good reason for seeking exemptions, but in some cases, as with Tasha M. Gascon-Smith of Palm Beach, Florida, they go too far.

"My husband, he wishes I'd spend my time better, but he knows I'm on the right track," she says. For more than a year now, Gascon-Smith, mother of three, has been waging a war against her kid’s dress code policies. She keeps a folder with all of the correspondence she has had on the issue.

Right about then any one of us would have pulled our kid aside and given them the talk about how sometimes we have to do things that we don’t want to do. But not Gascon-Smith.

After a year of battle, she won’t give in- even though her thirteen year old son spent the last nine weeks of his seventh grade year serving “in-school suspension” for insubordination over his clothes. His mom says it’s the same this year. “He’s probably only been in his regular classes seven to ten days.”

School officials aren’t caving. That’s the trouble with school dress code exemptions. “If we approve one exemption, we have to approve them all.”

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