REGION: School officials gear up for dress-code showdowns
Skin is in at stores, but not at school, they say
By SHAYNA CHABNER - Staff Writer | ∞
Elina Hood, 14, left, and Halle Singh, 14, shop for school clothes at Westfield North County mall in Escondido last week. Both girls are entering their freshman year at Mission Hills High School. (Photo by Kristy Ann Mann - For the North County Times) 
Joe Cooks, 18, from Mission Hills High school, left, Rene Silva, 17, from Vista High School, and Anthony King, 17, from Mission Hills High School shop for school clothes at Westfield North County mall in Escondido on Thursday. (Photo by Waldo Nilo - Staff Photographer NORTH COUNTY ---- Thousands of North County high school students will have to shelve their favorite belly-baring, cleavage-clinging tops and their barely there shorts and low-hanging, gravity-defying pants next month.
Summer's out. School's in. And that means, of course, that all the popular clothes kids wore over the summer accentuating the "Three B's" ---- breasts, bellies and bottoms ---- are suddenly out of fashion, or at least they're out in the hallways and classes at area high schools.
That's because clothes that are revealing or draw too much attention are both a distraction from learning and a safety concern, North County school district officials said last week. And, actually, as teens flock to the malls this month to buy new clothes for the new school year, many campus officials said they can only hope that students and their parents keep the dress codes in mind.
Otherwise, they said, the start of a new school year once again will turn into a code-busting showdown ---- with administrators enforcing the rules on one side and students bending and breaking the rules on the other.
"Dress codes are interesting because it's like politics and religion," said Bob Harman, the student services director at San Marcos Unified School District. "For every parent who wants a kid to wear whatever they want, there is a parent or student who wants a dress code.
"We are always going to err on the edge of having a code."
Dress codes differ only slightly at North County high schools. Most of them ban tank tops with straps thinner than an inch, shirts and tops that end above the waistline, baggy pants that hang on thighs, and clothing advertising gang affiliation or illegal items such as drugs, alcohol and marijuana.
And every school tries to make sure everyone is familiar with the dress code.
The dress codes are advertised annually in student handbooks families pick up at registration, for example, and they're even reviewed in classes during the first few weeks of school, said Randi Gibson, Oceanside Unified School District's student services director.
Even so, a dozen teens and parents said in interviews last week while shopping for school clothes that students routinely break dress codes because they're not enforced regularly.
Students and parents offered varying opinions about dress rules last week. Teens typically said they want to wear what they like --- especially tank and halter tops for girls and hip-hugging pants for boys.
Others said dress codes could be a good thing, but that it's pointless to have them if they're not enforced.
"It doesn't bother me when people don't follow (dress codes), but it probably distracts a lot of the guys," said 15-year-old McKinley Agatha, a sophomore at Westview High School. "(The dress code) is not enforced a lot of the time."
McKinley said she follows the dress code, mostly because she doesn't have a choice. Her mother's rules for what's appropriate to wear on campus are stricter than the school's rules, she said.
Her mother said there's a good reason for that.
"There is too much skin everywhere and too much ripped stuff," McKinley's mother, Rachelle Agatha said. "As far as I can tell, the schools let them wear whatever they want."
Setting an example
Dress code infractions are common, school administrators and district officials said last week. And it's nearly impossible to catch and discipline every student who breaks the rules, they said.
On a campus with several thousand kids, administrators, teachers and supervisors said they're so vastly outnumbered that it's nearly impossible to spot all the code-busters.
"You aren't going to catch it all," Harman said. "It's like people speeding on the highway. There is always one person who gets pulled over for speeding, even though others are going just as fast."
Schools officials said they don't tally the number of dress code violations they handle in any one day or year. And they said they rarely suspend students for "breaking the code."
The San Marcos district, for example, typically only has about nine suspensions a year ---- out of more than a thousand suspensions districtwide ---- that have to do with dress-code violations, Harman said.
Typically, dress-code discipline does not go beyond asking students to change their outfits, Gibson said, adding that officials will actually call parents in cases where a student repeatedly violates the dress code. Suspensions are usually reserved for students who have other behavior problems or if they're being defiant, she added.
There are certain situations where districts are more aggressive in enforcing their dress codes ---- when a student is wearing something that advertises the colors or sports team logos adopted by local gangs, for example.
Fights can erupt between rival gangs on campus just because of what a student is wearing, and unsuspecting kids who accidentally wear the wrong colors or logos could find themselves the target of a gang member, officials said.
When the dress code is enforced "it's done respectfully a lot of the time," said Angela Chunka, the president of Vista Unified's parent-teacher association.
"I had one son who wore a shirt that was borderline and I had to take a shirt for him to change into," she said. "It was funny because the principal knows him and she just kind of looked at him like, 'Really, you are one of the leaders here.' "
'I get what I want'
Like Chunka's teenage son, who bought a shirt for school last year that he knew wouldn't meet Rancho Buena Vista High School's rules, many teenagers said last week they're not going to give dress codes much thought when they buy clothes for school.
Mini-shorts, strappy, lace-trimmed tank tops, and jeans worn with holes at the knees, along the thigh and elsewhere are in fashion at the local stores, even if they aren't on campuses.
"I get what I want," said 14-year-old Carlsbad High sophomore Maya Mcinnis. "I am not going to be like, 'Oh no, school says I can't wear that so I shouldn't buy it.' "
Maya said she can either risk wearing a code-breaking outfit to school and hope she doesn't get caught or only wear the clothes on the weekend and after school.
Other teens, such as 15-year-old Stephanie Tilley, a sophomore at Valley Center High School, and 14-year-old Chandler Williams, a freshman at Rancho Bernardo High School, said they'll look for ways to get around dress rules.
Both girls said they will layer shirts with sleeves or thicker strapped tanks over skimpier tops. They said they'll also bring sweaters to cover up their skimpier clothes around teachers and administrators, and use their hands to shield the holes in their pants or skirts when necessary.
"You just make (your clothes) fit ---- or look like they fit ---- the dress code," said Stephanie.
Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.
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Great Story wrote on Aug 3, 2008 7:47 PM:Really gives me hope to know the future leaders of this country have come to the conclusion at an early age that the rules don't apply to them.
I wouldn't mind this protest and disrespect so much if there were some real soul and heart in it, some higher purpose or meaning to it.... like in the 60's and 70's. But now, it's all about the "fashion" I am "entitled" to wear. God.
Bring back corporal punishment, and have it administered by the strongest teachers on campus.
Better yet, lets just lay down and die, for this country is finished with the likes of these young people quoted in this article.
Parents are whimps wrote on Aug 3, 2008 7:59 PM:There is no need for a dress code at school, if parents set standards for dress at home.
Its that simple!
Do your job, parents, and quit leaving child rearing to public schools.
The six hours schools have your children is far less significant than the remaining 18 hours they are with you!
If you don't believe my comments, dress standards are the least of your worries!
Thanks for the laughs wrote on Aug 3, 2008 8:35 PM:This story cracks me up! And to think the nuns used to send us home from school if our skirts were more than 2" above the tops of our kneecaps--but when they weren't looking, we'd roll our waistbands and hike them up to 3" anyway--we were such trollops! Hah!
Old Man wrote on Aug 3, 2008 9:07 PM:Ha...Ha! You said "Trollops."
I'll give you 5 bucks if a High School Teacher knows what you're talking about.
(P.S. I agree)
Well Now wrote on Aug 3, 2008 9:46 PM:Great Story -
They think they are entitled.
Wonder if they know what their OBLIGATIONS to society are.
Parents who whine along with their kids about the dress code, don't realize that they, themselves, have a dress code at work.
Teacher and Parent wrote on Aug 3, 2008 10:24 PM:The mantra should be:
At school dress for success - be cool after school
Mary wrote on Aug 3, 2008 10:33 PM:What kids wear to school is the least of our problems with teens. In the 50s it was peg leg jeans, in the 60s it was mini skirts. But now we have alot more booze, drugs and a high drop out rate. That is the real problem.
Well Now wrote on Aug 3, 2008 11:33 PM:I know what a trollop is. I know! Pick me! Pick me!
Oh. I'm not a teacher...
I attended public "skools" here before they went to hell in a hand basket.
Wait. That's not where I learned it from.
I learned it because my parents made me read the dictionary in 9th grade.
By the time I graduated, I liked reading the dictionary. I continued to do through high school and beyond.
Want a history lesson, reading dictionaries prior to the 1970's.
jvc wrote on Aug 4, 2008 2:21 AM:This student apparel is an expression
of our cultural values!
How are dress codes going to change these cultural values?
Alf wrote on Aug 4, 2008 4:57 AM:These kids read, they understand more than many realize. Although there has always been the rebelliousness of youth, when the highest elected official in the United States openly violates the law (the rules), when virtually anyone connected to the executive office breaks the law with seeming impunity, what a horrible example is being shown to them? When "impeachment is off the table" despite blatant AND REPEATED "high crimes and misdemeanors" what respect for authority are the children learning?
Parents do not need to AND SHOULD NOT give the children money to buy clothes or, worse yet, buy clothes for their children that violate the dress code. Parents should monitor what clothes their children are wearing when they leave home.
Regards, Alf.
So much time spent wrote on Aug 4, 2008 6:26 AM:on "fluff" No time for studies. We are
doomed.
I Get What I Want wrote on Aug 4, 2008 6:45 AM:If I was her mother I would be ashamed.
why not wrote on Aug 4, 2008 6:45 AM:Have a SOLID dress code where students must wear: Khakis/Black Slacks, and a White Polo? Even back in 1998-2000 when I lived in Texas for a few semesters of highschool they fully enforced this at a local highschool, people pissed and moaned, but they got over it. It prevented weapons from being brough in (easily...), no problems with gangs, and no girls dressing like hookers. I'd be ashamed if my daughter wore some of the stuff these teens wear.
Observer wrote on Aug 4, 2008 6:54 AM:I can see there is little or no focus on learning for most of these students.
Uniforms are the answer!
RJC wrote on Aug 4, 2008 6:58 AM:What is cultural about dressing like a hooker or showing your underwear? If brazen sexual exploitation of teens is part of that culture then you are darn right I want a dress code for my daughter.
Respect wrote on Aug 4, 2008 7:08 AM:I applaud the school district for imposing these dress codes. As a blogger indicated earlier, if parents aren't willing to make their children dress appropriately then someone has to do it for them. There is a well defined line between freedom of expression and dressing in inappropriate disrespectful attire. These kids today are out of control, yet another factor leading to the moral breakdown of our society.
To JVC wrote on Aug 4, 2008 7:34 AM:So if dress is an expression of our cultural values what does it say about YOUR cultural values if boys wear pants fashioned after convicts and girls dress like prostitutes? Half the school kids in Vista look like gang bangers and "ho's" .. those may be your cultural values but they sure arent ours.
Throw these commie wrote on Aug 4, 2008 7:47 AM:students out of school! Allow only bell bottoms, mini skirts and tye dyed tee shirs!
Publicskool wrote on Aug 4, 2008 8:07 AM:work hard and work smart to send your kids to private school or home school them. if the public schools can't enforce their own rules, then less students to monitor should help the situation! don't let your dilligence in raising your good kid be corrupted by these environments of sub standard academic performance where the lowest common denominator of moral ineptitude reign supreme. its America after all, you have a choice!
Jazzie wrote on Aug 4, 2008 8:42 AM:And the OUSD board wonders why many of us with kids from the now defunct SBT have chosen alternatives to traditional huge high schools! Standards, pure and simple. In our home, the parents set the standard, and the teen is expected to met that standard. Period. End of statement. And there are consequences to not meeting the standard. It is a shame that our public high schools are now so huge, and understaffed with underpaid teachers, that there are little consequences in the school or home to not meeting standards.
LOL wrote on Aug 4, 2008 8:48 AM:I remember fondly at one time when my dad took me shopping for new school clothes. I picked out a pair a pants that were bigger than I would normally wear. I gave the pair of pants to him. He looked at the size and said, "I'm not buying that (bleep)".
Moral of the story is... parents have control over their kids wardrobe.
Jim In Oceanside wrote on Aug 4, 2008 9:21 AM:A School Dress Code has absolutely nothing to do with who or what our Political Leaders are. It has nothing to do with Politicians breaking the rules or doing something with which you do not agree. It has to do with stopping the distractions and allowing both students and teachers concentrate on the process of learning. Parents have a legal responsiblity to ensure their children comply with school dress codes, as well as all other school codes. Mom & Dad, Legal Guardians, you are responsible to ensure your child complies, stop whining and act like adults. It is in school and at home where these children learn to obey rules and law, failure to comply leads to paying the consequences. It is all part of the education process.
Sickofit wrote on Aug 4, 2008 9:31 AM:Even some of the teachers need to clean up their act in the classroom.
Rules...rules...rules wrote on Aug 4, 2008 9:33 AM:For all of you going ballistic about teens not following the school rules... how many of you BREAK THE LAW every time you drive your car. If you are driving 26MPH on a road where the speed limit is 25MPH you are breaking the law. Any child who has witnessed the 99% of drivers who speed on the freeways knows that the general adult population is content to break laws daily. This BAD EXAMPLE by adults is not lost on our intelligent teens.
Steve wrote on Aug 4, 2008 9:34 AM:Showdown? Please. The kids are fine just worry about yourselves. If you lined up everyone posting comments on this site you would see everyone violating what they think shouldn't be allowed. Quit acting the way you said you never would when you were 14-18.
Bill wrote on Aug 4, 2008 9:49 AM:Another example of wasted energy from our public servants.
How many times are we going to go down this road in America?
This is unenforcable and unneccessary.
Like the kids are learning anyway?
This is just another smoke screen to excuse the teachers for not doing their job.
More excuses as to why our children are failing.
Oh, and dont think Im letting the parents off the hook because I am not.
They share an equal blame for this too.
GFN wrote on Aug 4, 2008 9:55 AM:Dress codes are an excellent idea. You cannot allow children to dictate school fashion values as they have proven inept in this area. However, the code MUST BE ENFORCED by administration and, most importantly, supported by parents and teachers alike...even if they do not agree. When children see a united front, they quickly accept and move on to the next issue. Don't back down.
jvc wrote on Aug 4, 2008 10:03 AM:Should have said that student apparel
today shows a lack of proper cultural values in proper apparel! However, this issue should not be corrected by the school system but at home! As it stands, students will be taught to wear one value at school and
another value at home!
past public school student wrote on Aug 4, 2008 10:06 AM:You know, I would venture to say that if you have raised your children right then you don't need to stand over them and decide what they wear. If at this point in their lives they can't pick out suitable clothing for themselves then back to school shopping should be your last worry. In response to a comment above I would argue that sending a child to private/home school is doing them more harm. Public school provides a real life learning environment where not everything Little Billy wants is easy to get. No one will grow up to work in a perfect world with perfect and agreeable people. Raise your children right and send them to public school. If you've done your job correctly, so will they.
Vista_Parent wrote on Aug 4, 2008 10:19 AM:Dress Codes have always been in the schools. This is nothing new from when we went to school.
The truth is, and studies show, that it is in the best interest of the kids to have uniforms. It is also better for us as parents. If we only have to spend a few hundred bucks on uniforms all year it sure makes it easier in this cash strapped economy. And who really cares if the kid doesnt get to "express themselves"? The have one job to do, GET AN EDUCATION!
And for all you parents out there who allow thier kids to dress like tramps and gang bangers, It is my job to tell your kid how to dress because you obviously forgot to teach them right from wrong. God didnt put you in the child's life to be his friend, he put you there to be the parent and if you wont, I have no problem doing it when they are with me. I know a lot of parents who feel that way too!
liberaljim wrote on Aug 4, 2008 10:39 AM:I know I sound like a hopeless old fogey, but what's wrong with school uniforms? The uniforms could be simple casual slacks and button down shirts for the boys and a skirt and blouse for the girls. In cool weather a blazer for both girls and boys would look nice. Parents would no longer need to keep up the expense of dressing their kids in outfits influenced by rock stars and kids from families that can't afford to keep up with the Joneses wouldn't be stigmitized as being uncool. After school the kids can wear whatever their parents consider appropriate.
What the Heck wrote on Aug 4, 2008 10:40 AM:Excuse me! Parents see only three or four children a day -- not thousands! Teachers see only 30 kids at a time, and see them for almost an hour each time -- are we saying that teachers don't notice, or more likely that they don't want to establish a authority relationship with their students because they want a friendship relationship? Is ANYONE in charge here? (The answer is obvious.)
Seb wrote on Aug 4, 2008 11:00 AM:I am a teenage guy myself, I would like to put in my own $0.02 on this situation. Just to be brief and short, at my High school and pretty much all High schools, excluding ones in rough areas, you generally will not see many of these "sluts", sure the girls wear thier shorts short, but that will be it, the girl who wears her shorts shorter than the actual term itself is labeled as a slut and she probably knew it as well. And to people who are mentioning Private schools...no...I went to private school from 3rd-5th, Thats where i learned about all the major cuss words, sex, yes SEX in a private school, drugs, and due to the fact that they are a private school they do not have a lot of income all the time so we were behind in math by a YEAR, etc. In the 6th grade i went back to a public school and these things were not even mentioned until the 8th grade. Trust me, private schools are bad because the students who attend private schools feel the need to act even more rebellious so as to please their craving of what most of their friends and family are doing, attending regular public schools.
Alf wrote on Aug 4, 2008 11:01 AM:But, "liberaljim" at 10:39AM, you might violate part of "The Students' Bill of Rights" (What a crock that is).
HA!
What you propose is too simple, contains too much common sense and
is too practical to ever be considered.
But, it does have a great deal of merit (even if the "right" to express themselves through some perverse "fashion" is violated).
Regards, Alf.
jvc wrote on Aug 4, 2008 11:12 AM:Monitoring of attire by the school system is boarding on fascism!To
monitor student attire is an abridgement to student's human rights of self-expression! And, how much time
is going to be spent on monitoring that
is taken from teaching?This is clearly a STATE'S interference in mores!
Floyd wrote on Aug 4, 2008 11:13 AM:There is a simple solution to the problem: assign the unwanted dress design as homework. That would clear everything up, since the kids actively avoid homework.
SD Class of wrote on Aug 4, 2008 11:26 AM:I was upset when San Diegutio started requiring shoes be worn at all time, before my senior year we could go without shoes unless you were in a shop class. During lunch, girls would wear bathing suit tops and the guys would go without shirts. Check out the photos in the old year books, you will see this is true. My outfit all my years in high school: tube top and dolfin shorts. Of course we could not wear this in the classroom or hats or sunglasses or hoods over our heads. No matter what an attractive student wears, they will always distract the other students by their looks. It is not the clothes we should worry about, it is the discipline and attitude in the classroom. These kids will learn that there is a dress code when you get a job. When a boss tells you to stop wearing something, it is more embarrassing.
they should wear wrote on Aug 4, 2008 11:32 AM:uniforms at school and regular clothes afterwards.
high school is a joke. nobody learns crap because they are to busy trying to express "themselves" when really they are just trying to be cool.
christine wrote on Aug 4, 2008 11:47 AM:I wore uniforms for 9 years and went to a high school that had a strict dress code. Looking back, uniforms and dress codes are a great equalizer and take a LOT of pressure off kids so they can focus on studying at school. We didn't have a lot of money but I'm sure it was still cheaper to pay private school tuition and buy uniforms than it is to dress teenages these days!!
jvc wrote on Aug 4, 2008 12:15 PM:Commie students?
Al wrote on Aug 4, 2008 12:31 PM:I strongly supoprt a dress code and wearing a uniform. During my recent travels to Japan, who, by the way, have very studious students and good academics, the girls wore plaid skirts and a white blouse. The boys wore back slacks and a shirt. No nonsense, no need to spend 100's of dollars on clothes, no gang crap, no fashion statements, no competitiveness between ego-centric kids and their clothes. We need that here.
Hey Steve wrote on Aug 4, 2008 1:19 PM:You're running your life today on what you said you'd do when you were 14?
I hope I don't have to ever deal with you sonny!
Steve wrote on Aug 4, 2008 1:43 PM:Yes. Make goals and achieve them. Adults didn't change much between 14-18 for me. I guess I'll never grow up. Almost 40 now.
Uniforms wrote on Aug 4, 2008 3:06 PM:High school students are not too old to wear uniforms. Come on Superintendents, get strong and earn your large salaries.
StandardsAtTheTop wrote on Aug 4, 2008 3:27 PM:Hmmm...not wanting to sound like an old fogie, but when I went to school, the male teachers ALL wore shirts, ties and jackets. Female teachers wore dresses, skirts or pantsuits. You can't expect the kids to "dress up" when the teachers and administrators look like they're in "kick back" mode. I'm just sayin....
Doug wrote on Aug 4, 2008 4:19 PM:Kids should be individualistic in their assignments instead of their attire. Rules on appropriate dress make sense. Many kids today (I should say I'm only 25) are too focused on the fasion of highschool to be concerned with learning. But a student who wants to learn can do so easily.
When I was in high school wrote on Aug 4, 2008 4:31 PM:during the 70's it was flower power and all of the teachers trying to look anti establishment wore pony tails and sandals. Fads come and fads go.
I agree wrote on Aug 4, 2008 6:28 PM:School uniforms for all, every school, every grade, every district!! Problem solved!!
I believe wrote on Aug 4, 2008 6:33 PM:If everyone is dressed basically the same, there is no "competition" as to who is the "coolest". Every kid will be an equal. Let the academics be the thing that sets them apart from everyone else.
Ralphs wrote on Aug 4, 2008 6:37 PM:The answer is so simple. It is called uniforms. We wore them in Texas in 1959, My son and daughter both wore them at their elementary, middle and high schools. After school they can wear what ever their parents allow them to get away with, but at school it should be very specific. Then they are not there to impress, they are there to learn. No gang clothing, no looking like hookers. Such a simple solution to a non problem.
Uniforms for all wrote on Aug 4, 2008 7:21 PM:I think High schools need to just go to the same elementary school uniforms. Blue Pants , White polo, End of story.
i am sick of see boys dressed like pimps and girls dressed like street walkers,
Get some class on the way to class.
BRING BACK MORALITY!
Albert wrote on Aug 4, 2008 8:32 PM:To StandardsAtTheTop - You nailed it. I've seen teachers and students hanging out and it's not easy to tell which is which in some cases.
RBV Parent wrote on Aug 4, 2008 10:18 PM:I am surprised that this article didn't mention that at Rancho Buena Vista High School, students will no longer be allowed to wear any sports teams apparel other than the school's Longhorn apparel. No Chargers, no Padres, etc. The gang mentality and affiliation with these teams and others have ruined it for those kids that are legitimate fans!! I only wish that the administration would come down harder on the skimpy tops that some girls wear underneath their sweatshirts!!
esteban wrote on Aug 5, 2008 6:25 AM:Teens don't run the show. parents do. Children are nothing more than property at that age.
Reality Check wrote on Aug 5, 2008 6:48 AM:Do you think the problem is race?
Rules are to be obeyed?
Punishment for offenders?
What happened to leadership?
The federal government and integration in the schools doesn't work.
Good schools turn into ghetto schools.
Who is getting an education?
Is your school democratic?
Where is prayer and Pledge Of Allegence?
Bring back the draft!
Go to college or go to boot camp?
Where are penny donatins to the red cross?
Kids take ownership of your schools!
Now-every school has a resident law enforcement officer.
Are we going to accept education by force?
What went wrong with education here in the United States?
jvc wrote on Aug 5, 2008 6:57 AM:So, having a dress code at school is going to bring back morality?
Bob wrote on Aug 5, 2008 9:10 AM:Dress codes? Should start at home. Too much Boob,Butt and Belly!
Express themselves as what, street walkers or worse?
Get a grip, some teachers are just as bad.
Should be a learning environment instead of who is the 'coolest'. (Whatever that means)
First Blogger Got It wrote on Aug 5, 2008 9:58 AM:"I wouldn't mind this protest and disrespect so much if there were some real soul and heart in it, some higher purpose or meaning to it.... like in the 60's and 70's." Funny, but it was the explosion of protest and disrespect during that era that has led us to where we are today. And it goes way beyond just what kids wear. That's just the tip of an iceberg of selfish anti-social behavior that pervades society, and the kids just reflect the attitudes and values of their parents. And with ... moms out there showing off their most recent boobjobs (nice tank top lady), the deluge of male enhancement advertisements (daddy, what is erectile disfunction?), and the rich and famous being the best example most kids see of what "success" means (thanks Lindsey, Brittany, etc), what do you expect from the kids?
something wrote on Aug 5, 2008 11:07 AM:I wish we had had uniforms when I was in public high school in suburban Atlanta, from 1990 to 1994. The teachers did a pretty good job of sending kids home when they looked trashy, but that didn't address the insane amount of money that kids and their parents spent on clothes. It was like an arms race. If I ruled the world, schools would allow a single color of slacks in the winter, a single color of knee-length shorts and skirts in the spring and fall, and a couple of different styles of polo shirts year-round. Each student would have to buy just four outfits. They could take a break from uniforms on Fridays and wear whatever they want, subject to the same dress codes that are supposed to be in place now.
High School Teacher wrote on Aug 5, 2008 1:01 PM:I've been a high school teacher for over 30 years. Dress codes are rarely enforced. Students dress like hookers and gang bangers. Only serves to set the stage for the social scence, not the academic. It is a daily battle! If you want your son / daughter to learn, dress them how would be expected in the business world. Dress for success!
Heard it said wrote on Aug 5, 2008 4:04 PM:I have heard it said if you have nothing for sale don't advertise. There are too many teenage pregnancies and venereal diseases. Schools should be a place to learn not a place to look for a date and party. Until the schools get a handle on this, academic scores will continue to plummet. A word to the wise is sufficient!
ya think wrote on Aug 6, 2008 8:23 AM:Parents and teachers BOTH allow these kids to dress the way they do. First of all, PARENTS usually are PAYING for the trash these kids wear. They allow it!!TEACHERS allow them to wear it in their classrooms instead of making them change their clothes. If ALL the kids are wearing the same thing, teachers don't have to play fashion police and parents don't have to be bothered with getting that "phone call" that their child is dressed like a street walker of a gangbanger and need to bring a change of clothes.
Had to laugh wrote on Aug 6, 2008 8:29 AM:I had to laugh at the photos that went along with the story. THAT is EXACTLY the way that kids dress at school and WHY a dress code is needed.
Wearing wrote on Aug 6, 2008 10:08 AM:uniforms is not the answer. First Amendment Rights allow parents to "opt" students out of wearing uniforms (ask anyone in the Oceanside Unified District). All those who wish to wear what they want will opt out and those who play by the rules will wear uniforms. Also, if a student can't afford the uniform, the district must provide it which eventually comes back to the taxpayers.
esteban wrote on Aug 7, 2008 1:05 PM:To the fake esteban. What a crude thing to say. Students are entitled to their first amnedment rights. That is what many servicemen gave their lives for. Let the kids dress how they want. Life is too short to have rules that govern how you dress. Once you start working thats when you lose alot of those freedoms. Let them enjoy it while they are young.
Alex-Cleveland wrote on Sep 3, 2008 2:16 PM:This article was obviously made to brainwash all of you people. You fell for it.
I live in Cleveland-Yes,Cleveland the "gang center of the world" and NO ONE ACTS LIKE THAT. What is wrong with a pair of jeans if they don't sag??? How about a T-shirt??? It gets ridiculous to the point of the vice principal running around ONLY looking for kids with their polos un-tucked! What have you all done?
You have destroyed what is public education,a FREE UN-DISCRIMINATORY EDUCATION!!! By having uniforms and "dress codes" in public schools you are saying if someone doesn't wear what I want then they can't succeed in life.
You people are not allowing children to learn by throwing them out of school or putting them in in school suspension if their shirt is un-tucked. What the hell is that???
Why should I be uncomfortable in my CHOICE HIGH SCHOOL that I have to APPLY to get into???Don't you think I've earned to the choice to wear my t-shirt and my jeans and not feel uncomfortable in the crap I'm forced to wear now
????
I am the person who succeeds,I got straight A's(well close to it,a few B's here and there)for the past few years and I thought, "Yay high school! Now I can be in a better environment than I was in elementary."But alas my hopes and dreams were crushed when the vice principal made me look so stupid(I'm dead serious I look really bad in my tucked-in polo)and it was embarrassing to have all of these people see me look like that.
I swear to god if I get an in school suspension for not having my shirt tucked in I won't be playing anymore games. The dress code will come down and freedom will come back into the schools and kids will be able to express themselves as much as they want to(with a less restrictive dress code,but I will make sure no sagging,no pajamas,etc.)because especially myself,I've earned it.
I do not sag my pants I don't wear anything that is "offensive" to anyone so why should I suffer??? WHAT IS WRONG WITH JEANS IF THE DON'T SAG?????????????? OR A T-SHIRT IF IT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING INAPPROPRIATE ON IT???????????????Why am I being punished????Put the focus back onto academics and take it away from clothes.
You should all be ashamed at what you've done
-Alex,Cleveland Metropolitan School District
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