What if you were called out of class for wearing your favorite sweater but it was “too revealing”?The first school law to require a dress code was was established in 1969 by the U.S. Supreme Court, known as the Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District case. Dress codes and uniforms have been the center of controversy between student and teachers from the start. Lately students have been saying that dress codes or uniforms repress their ability to express themselves in a school environment. To truly understand how this is such a big issue in the United States, we must know how this started, the positives, and the negatives of school dress codes.
Dress codes have been a part of school life since 1969. A dress code provides guidelines of what students should be wearing while at school. The first dress code law was established by the Supreme court following the case of Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District (Haynes). Not long after, the first public school district to “require uniforms was in Long Beach, California, in 1994.” (“School”). A large amount of public schools have started requiring students to follow a dress code. For example, a Georgia school district banned all shirts having the Confederate flag on
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Dress codes begin with the Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District case in 1969, with not long after in 1994, a school in Long Beach, California became the first public school district to require uniforms. Teachers and administration believe that dress codes or uniforms provide positive environment with safety and good behavior among students. The students feel that dress codes are taking away their freedom of expression given by the first amendment. The next time someone is called out of class for breaking dress code, remember this is how it all
Within this essay there are three main topics that I wish to cover; they are as follows Dress Code, Student Free Speech, and Internet Use. Every case within these topics is argued with the First Amendment in hand, though not all of them conclude the same. I hope you enjoy educating yourself on this tedious topic! Dress Code When you think of dress code in schools, the 1969 case “Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District” comes to mind.
School Dress Code is Too Strict Students get in trouble for several dress code violations because school dress code is too strict. Mostly dealing with shorts, shirts, sometimes backpacks, and uniforms. These are some of the biggest issues in school that teachers and the school districts need to understand. To start with, shorts and short dresses are one of the greatest problems in school.
No matter what a student wears to school it doesn’t block or contribute weather a student will learn or not, so if a student wants to wear a crop top to school they should be able to wear it if a girl decides to wear shorts to school she should be able to wear it. Sometime boys might feel it’s too hot to come to school in a t-shirt and decides to wear a tank top he should be able to wear it and not have to serve a consequence. No matter how much schools have dress codes students will try to outbreak those rules. At the end of the day students come to school to get an education, students use their brains to learn and not what they wear to school.
School Dress Code is Sexist School dress code has gotten out of hand, limiting young girls and boys on what they can wear to school. Telling young women that they are distractions in class because of what they wear. Girls get sent home because of their outfits it makes it seem like the administration is not worried about whether or not they get an education. Many types of clothing d or that have such as leggings, low cut shirts, and shorts have been banned or have restrictions. It is hard to find clothes that meet all these requirements.
School Dress codes do not allow students to completely express their individuality. Schools want students to be able to think for themselves and create a sense of who they are, but it is not easy when they are forced to abide by rules that take away from from that. It should be a place of expressing ourselves freely in a learning environment without having to worry about what we wear as an interfering issue. The fact that the school system cares more about the student dress code than their education is an issue in itself. Schools should promote dress code individuality because of religious aspects, mental health, and human experience.
Dress codes ¨...reinforce that girls are expected to act to a different standard than boys, and that boys are incapable of controlling themselves around girls,” said the Huffington Post. For example, in some schools girls have to wear a one-piece in the pool but guys can go shirtless. Dress codes also limit
Who will care in 10 years what shirt you wore last Thursday? The point being, school is a place for students to learn and grow, we do not need the distractions of out-of-uniform clothing. Dress codes are a good thing because they make life easier in the mornings and don 't cause as much bullying. Dress codes make everyone look uniform and professional, as well as, making it easier for the students to learn at
Dress codes lock schools up like jail, and they don’t give students any freedom. Because of school dress codes, kids are revolting at this decision. People enforced dress codes so students couldn’t distract one another, as a result dress codes have impeded learning in many schools. Many people favor dress codes, yet they cost extra money, limit the student’s freedom, and they can be uncomfortable, which is why dress codes are unnecessary.
Dress codes should always be implemented because they focus students and better prepare learners for endeavors later in life. Teenagers tend to get distracted by short-shorts or tight pants. However, a dress code would prevent such distractions from occurring. Also, a dress code teaches children how to properly dress themselves, which will be a necessary ability later in life. Dress codes also make people uncomfortable, which means they are attentive.
First, there are many dress code rules in schools. A handful of these rules include, no hats, no illegal substances can be advertised on garments, no sunglasses, and jackets must be worn with good taste (“Student”). Rules directed at a specific gender includes, “Female student can wear unsleeved garments that adequately cover their undergarments” (“Student”), and, ”Male students have to wear sleeved garments” (“Student”). With rules comes opinions, and with opinions comes arguments. Second, Because of these rules there are many people with opinions againsts the dress code policy.
Dress Code When it comes to the topic of dress code there are many controversial factors that come to mind such as While some argue that dress code is necessary in order to properly teach students to dress appropriately, others contend that dress code infringes on students individuality and creativity. This is not to say that there are some people whose feelings land in the gray area in between. In recent discussion of dress code, a common question has been whether dress code is fair or not fair among all students. On the one hand we have parents, young women, and other members of society who argue that some schools take dress code too far.
There are three major positions on this issue. The first position is that student dress codes are necessary to produce a safe and productive environment for students, which will facilitate high achievement. The second position goes even farther, and says that dress codes should mandate uniforms for all students, claiming that the uniforms will make students focus more while removing concerns about fashion differences that would otherwise harm their self-esteem. Last, there is the position that school uniforms are unnecessary, and that they pose an unfair cost burden to families and restrict students' constitutional rights to free expression. Each side has some evidence in its favor, but ultimately the lack of hard statistics on costs and grading effects from dress codes make it apparent that more research is necessary to figure out what position has the best support for
Having dress codes can also be uncomfortable especially with changes in weather throughout the school year. Most dress codes involve long pants for the boys and skirts for girls. During warm summers it can get real hot wearing long pants and in the winter, the girls would not be comfortable wearing skirts in freezing temperatures. To pay attention in school you need to be comfortable in what you are wearing without distractions. There is also the burden and additional expense to parents with students wearing dress codes for school and the other clothes after school which could double family budgets.
In 2003-2004 one in eight public schools required a uniform. In 2011-2012 numbers rose to one in five schools (“School”). Lots of schools are required to enforce dress code and most of them have a Code of Conduct or specific document where the rules and guidelines are layed out. There are many opinions about the dress code but, schools believe that it plays a key role in students academic performance.
Over the years more and more schools are adopting some form of a dress code, these dress codes are often implemented to focus more on education rather than fashion which has led to a lack of creative freedom, it is assumed that boys cannot control themselves, boys dress codes are more lenient than girls dress codes, and so many other problems. All of these problems come from three major issues regarding dress code, which is sexism, dress codes are considered more important than education, and the overall affects dress codes have on students. According to Merriam Webster, dress code is formally or socially imposed standards of dress. Dress codes cause a number of problems in schools throughout the world and all of these problems stem from the fact that school systems use dress codes in order to make the focus more on education. In the end dress codes end up doing quite the opposite.