Editorial: Is the dress code the real distraction?
What makes either of these outfits a distraction?
Evolving fashion trends have always challenged what is considered “appropriate dress.”
While its clear that not every outfit is appropriate for school, a problem occurs when the dress code itself is more of a distraction to students and teachers than the clothing itself.
Appropriate clothing is something to be addressed within schools, but is it more important than a student’s education?
Schools across the nation enforce dress codes with varying degrees of strictness, but a dress code that prohibits clothing that is typically acceptable in all other aspects of social life, such as attending church, going to movies with friends, or a family outing simply does not make sense.
It makes even less sense when this dress-code is only selectively enforced by school officials.
Even at Tyrone there is a discrepancy with the dress code that is supposedly enforced throughout the school. The student handbook states that when students wear clothing that does not meet its standards, that student “interferes with the educational process” – in other words, it distracts students from their class work.
However, multiple teachers and students admit that it is actually more distracting to reprimand a student for their clothing and force them to leave class than to simply let the occurrence slide.
While it is clearly specified in the student handbook that clothing articles such as leggings are not permitted unless a shirt extends over the leggings beyond the fingertips, this rule is often ignored by staff and students in the school.
However, there have been circumstances where a girl’s outfit did not violate the dress code in any way, yet she has been chastised for wearing it by a teacher.
One of these cases even led to a student missing two full periods of honors and AP classes, which are classes that can be difficult to make up missed work for.
“Most people are so concerned about the dress code that they can’t even pay attention in class because they’re afraid they will get in trouble over something pointless,” said senior Shannon Gearhart. “Also, the punishment for breaking the dress code is spending the day in in school suspension, which does not make sense because you miss even more vital class time.”
Appropriate clothing is something to be addressed within schools, but is it more important than a student’s education?
The school dress code also states that students have an opportunity to call home for a change of clothing before being placed in in school suspension, but for many students this opportunity is nullified by the fact that many parents work and do not have time to bring their children a change of clothing.
Junior Brittney Minnich stated, “It’s hard to call your parents if the school is requiring you to get a change of clothes. If I was ever in that situation I would have to go to in school suspension just because no one would even be home to bring clothes for me. My parents are busy at work, not sitting at home waiting for phone calls from the school.”
It can also be noted that female students are highly targeted by the dress code whereas males have very few rules directed towards them.
And while society may seem to be pushing women’s apparel to the limits, this is not actually the case among Tyrone’s students. While models strut across the runways scantily clothed, the majority of girls at Tyrone have enough common sense to dress appropriately.
Tyrone senior Olivia Dickson commented, “We’re in high school, the majority of us know what’s appropriate for school and what’s not. How we dress is how we express ourselves and no one should be allowed to change that.”
In short, the dress code here at Tyrone is taking away from student’s education more so than the “inappropriate” dress of the students themselves.
Hi! I'm Grace McKernan and I'm a senior this year at good old TAHS. I'm the photography editor for the Eagle Eye. Other activities I participate in include...
Liz Hill • Dec 9, 2014 at 4:27 pm
I really enjoyed reading this article. All of the points were valid and I agree that Tyrone, as well as many other school districts, have a problem with the dress code interfering with their ability to educate. Even two years of ago, prior to my graduation, lunch talk involved complaints that one teacher sent said student to the Dean and yet someone with a far more egregious violation managed to walk the halls without being reprimanded. In many eyes there was always a double standard. The school rule that was highly frustrating in high school was that you could not wear jeans with holes in them. Why is there a need to take a student from her class if she (or he) is some skin showing under her jeans? And as much as I dislike conceeding…if it is such a concern, then take students for 5 minutes, give them a t shirt or a pair of sweatpants which they should already have in abundance at the nurses and in the gym, and get them back to class. The use of in school suspension is infuriating as a punishment because schools, and Tyrone especially, harp on how important classes are and yet for a small infraction would remove a student from their classes for an entire day. Even as someone who spent most of her senior year in sweatpants, yogas (which they attempted to ban at one point), and hoodies, I was appalled at the school boards apparent attempt at sexualization of high school girls (don’t forget middle school girls because the rules apply to both of them). In my opinion, which remains true from high school, the school board and Tyrone High School itself should spend more time attempting to prepare their students for college and life outside of high school rather than ship them out of classes meant to do so for holes in their jeans, yoga pants, and tanktops.
Connor Gority • Jan 12, 2016 at 12:49 pm
I think we have the right to wear what we want. I’ve seen people wearing some crazy things in class, but nobody paid attention. They’ve all stayed n topic. The school is just overreacting…again.