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Before the 90s we were able to decide what was ok and what wasn't without restrictive dress codes...
Attended public elementary school in the 60s and early 70s. I can remember when the dress code changed to allow girls to wear pants, not just dresses. Oh, and those pants were absolutely not jeans.
I was very thankful for having to wear a uniform in school in the 70s. I was one of those poor kids and not having to keep up with all my friends was such a relief. It was hard enough buying clothes for out of school occasions.
I think a school uniform policy would have benefited my kids, my daughter in particular. She spends a huge amount of time " getting ready" for school with consultations during and after school. If she put as much work into grades as she does fashion, she would be a straight A student. Unfortunately, we live a very affluent area where the kids have everything. I'm not the type of parent who buys their kids every style and color of Northface jackets or UGGs boots ( she does get some of this but not like her friends). Some of her friends won't wear a piece of clothing if it is over a year old. Over the years this has caused many problems. Uniforms would have gone a long way on getting her to focus on more important things like learning.
Reading the dress code from the link provided, I'm going to guess that the issues with denim/jeans are because jeans are the most likely to have status and fit issues. If your district has experienced problems regarding that, then most likely it is overall less time consuming for them to institute and monitor a dress code than to deal with determining and explaining why Joey's pants are acceptable but Johnny's are not. And dealing with Johnny's p.o'd mom who just spent a ridiculous amount of $ on those jeans. In general, I'd venture to guess that district dress codes are the result of issues that particular district has struggled with.
Going to agree with others who say the dress code you linked to does not seem "overly restrictve". Many options are given.
Last edited by maciesmom; 05-05-2015 at 06:52 AM..
I always thought dress codes were there for those who lack common sense (which is on the rise these days) and to reduce DISTRACTIONS in the learning environment. Not bullying. I've never heard of someone promoting a dress code to solely address bullying.
I grew up going to a fairly strict, public school that was extremely conservative with regards to their dress code. I remember having a gaggle of teachers surrounding me one day because I wore a sleeveless shirt that flirted with the guidelines set up by the dress code that required them to go all the way to the edge of our shoulders. When I stood still, I was compliant. When I moved, I was not. I was told not to wear that shirt again. There were no shorts, no facial hair, no sandals/open toed shoes, t-shirts with offensive sayings were not allowed. I remember a new student to the school having to change out of his "Button Your Fly" t-shirt. My brother was pulled into the office a few times to shave. True, in the beginning of the year there were always students in the office or sent home for dress code violations. it wasn't a big deal and students/parents learned very quickly that the school meant business and fell into line. I know my experience is not the norm because I am SHOCKED when beginning of the year pictures start showing up on FB and I see what other people send their kids to school wearing.
So I see no issue with your dress code. Seems reasonable and while it is restrictive, it is easy to understand and it allows parents to procure the items from wherever they would like instead of having to buy very specific and expensive items.
I always thought dress codes were there for those who lack common sense (which is on the rise these days) and to reduce DISTRACTIONS in the learning environment. Not bullying. I've never heard of someone promoting a dress code to solely address bullying.
Yeah, me neither. I always thought dress codes were to prevent kids from coming to school dressed crazy and to eliminate the fuss that comes along with that.
Uniforms are more for eliminating the politics/distractions over who wears what clothing and promoting a focus on schoolwork, but they are really not supposed to eliminate bullying because nothing will do that. But, it can take some of the pressure off kids and parents.
But I do agree if these policies are not reasonably applied they can become more of a burden than a help.
I went to private HS with a dress code. Basically was dockers with a tucked in collared shirt. You could still have choice of colors and such, but the idea was to prepare us for a professional world.
Did it work? Meh
Do I dress like that now for a professional job? Yes.
My dd has gone from a school with uniforms to one without. I REALLY prefer the school without uniforms.
Wearing uniforms means no wardrobe decisions, but since it's such a small selection, it was a challenge to make sure she had a clean one to wear every day. Especially when kids tend to get dirt, markers, paint, ink marks on everything. Buying a bunch of uniforms didn't make sense either, since kids grow so fast. I did try to keep a larger selection of shirts, and when they got too small she would just wear them under a jumper. Many a day I wished she could just throw on a pair of jeans and be done with it.
And, if this school actually did take the time to properly enforce the uniform policy, there would be no time to teach. I saw a lot of dirty and ill fitting uniforms. I saw fifth grade girls wearing non uniform khaki low riders with their butt crack showing, and shirts that were too tight. But it would have been counterproductive to pull every kid out of class who violated the dress code. The purpose is supposed to be to provide a better learning environment. I truly didn't see how uniforms helped with that.
At her school now, which is a G&T school, no uniforms and a common sense dress code. Works SO much better. I have never seen an inappropriately dressed child. As far as I know, no one really cares how expensive or inexpensive your clothes are. My dd wears shoes from Payless and inexpensive clothes and no one has ever made fun of her. In fact, there are usually a bunch of kids wearing the exact same Payless shoes she has. And somehow, without uniforms, this school IS focused on learning and is one of the top performing schools in the state.
I think dress codes are a must, especially for middle and high school students. But I think uniforms are unnecessary. Even dress codes can go too far. I have a friend who's son went to a charter school, and he was pulled out of class and had to sit in the office until she could leave work, go home and get him another pair of shoes, and bring them to school...because his shoes had to be at least "80% black". So he missed out on valuable class time and learning because his shoes weren't black enough. Were his shoes keeping him from learning? My friend was livid and pulled him out that school. I don't blame her. School is supposed to be about learning, not clothing. When too much time is spent focused on what kids are wearing rather than what they're learning, it is time for school administrators to try something different.
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