Dress Code Research Paper

The first amendment gives American citizens the right of freedom of speech, this allows us to express ourselves with the protection of our government, despite this fundamental freedom given to us is restricted as soon as we step onto school grounds that enforce a dress code. Clothes as a reflection of self and culture which is protected under the First Amendment. Uniformness is not what we as people strive for, we strive for unique people and with dress code regulations that is harder to accomplish, But do school dress codes help enforce discipline? Not all schools enforce a dress code and they function just fine with the benefited happiness of its school body, so why do some schools still enforce a dress code? Schools use dress codes to help

“Ava 13, was excited for the first day of school. She felt good in her new striped sweater and jean skirt. But then her teacher pulled her aside “that skirt is too short,” the teacher said. Ava’s skirt did not meet the dress code, or her school’s rules for what kids can and can’t where” (“Should Schools Tell You How to Dress?” 1) The author then proceed to explain how her school administrators forced her to change into “Baggy gym shorts” (“Should Schools Tell You How to Dress” 1) This sparks up an argument on whether this was necessary or not. Schools have the legal right to suppress your freedom of speech if it interferes with learning, as explained in “What Constitutes Free Speech for Students” when the author includes “1969 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, unless public school officials can show that language would “materially and substantially” interfere with discipline, they cannot censor students.” (“What Constitutes Free Speech for Students?” 1) So, was this students shorter skirt due to her high a real distraction? Now the entire ordeal of her having to be pulled out from her learning environment to change into much less appealing clothes in no way benefited anyone 's learning but prohibited the students learning with the added effect of her self of steam being destroyed. Ava is not the only example of enforced dress codes interfering with learning more than it benefits it, there are hundreds of thousands of these