Recently, the dress code policy has become a hot topic of discussion at my school. I find that students are pushing the envelope more and more and it has really become quite frustrating. I deal with the female students who violate our dress code and I think it is safe to say that I spend more time on this issue than my male counterparts do in enforcing the policy on male students. One bullet of our school policy states that skirts must be fingertip length and that spandex, leggings, tights, and other tight-fitting materials are not allowed. A few weeks ago, my principal asked me to speak to a young lady who was in violation of the dress code. She wore a spandex type dress that was not even close to being fingertip length. Long story short, her father could not be reached to bring a change of clothes, so (at her request) she was sent to ISS for the remainder of the day. It was not going to be a disciplinary referral or anything. At lunch time I noticed her in the cafeteria. I asked her why she wasn’t in ISS and the girl just went ballistic! I mean she went off to the point that she took her stiletto heels off and was held back by her boyfriend. Yes, this girl acted like she was about to charge me! I couldn’t believe it then and have a hard time believing it now. 1/2 day of ISS resulted in 10 days of OSS just like that.
I have reviewed our dress code policy numerous times and really don’t believe that it is too constricting. However, enforcing the policy is so time-consuming and frustrating. To be honest, it is probably a small percentage of students who consistently attempt to violate the policy. I really don’t know how to change our policy so that young ladies abide by it. I am convinced that no matter what the policy states, there are some students who will not be happy. I just didn’t think that this would be something that I would have to deal with on a regular basis as a school administrator. Oh, by the way, a lot of parents don’t support the enforcement of the policy when it comes to “their child”. Go figure! I am starting to lean towards supporting school uniforms!
Now, although my situation was nothing like the situation in the video link below, I am not the only administrator that has had to address dress code violations. Take a look for yourself…based on the information provided in the video, do you agree or disagree with the stance of the school. I thought it was pretty ridiculous that the Superintendent didn’t truly know the dress code policy!
