School dress codes are simply outdated. What a student is wearing should have no effect on what a student is learning, so, therefore, there should not be a dress code. We go to school to learn not to see what other students are wearing.
According to The American Civil Liberties Union, “despite how common they are, school dress codes and grooming policies often reflect and reinforce outdated and sexist stereotypes, and may be disproportionately enforced against students who are more likely to be policed or perceived as deviant by school officials,” (aclu.org).
Many people use the way they dress/what they wear to express themselves. When specific limitations are enforced on our wardrobes, some may feel uncomfortable and as if they cannot express themselves.
With there being a dress code, some students may want to go against it and break the dress code to see how far they can push the limits.
Most schools say that they enforce a dress code so that students’ wardrobes aren’t a “distraction” to other students. Clothing, or the lack of, is not a distraction unless the school makes it one. It is not okay for a teacher or faculty member to view an outfit as a distraction. If they view it as a distraction, some students might be asking what part of their outfit is so distracting for them. In addition, many faculty might feel uncomfortable commenting to a minor about their bodies and/or clothing.
The dress code has always seemed to be more targeted towards female students than male students. The dress code is gender neutral, but it is seen as more acceptable for a male student to wear more revealing apparel than females.
According to https://thedispatchonline.net, “dress codes are biased against females. The majority of rules that are seen in dress codes only apply to girls, and there seems to be more rules that girls have to follow when it comes to how they dress.”
There have been many schools to eliminate the dress code altogether, and Warsaw should follow that trend and eliminate it also. The school will have to trust that students will not take advantage of there not being a dress code.