Dress code at St. Cloud High has been spoken and debated by students and staff. Some wonder why dress code is so heavily enforced, how it can cause major problems and what the consequences are. The topic is very controversial and can cause many conflicts between the staff and students. I have gathered all the facts to present to you so you can decide for yourselves weather your team Dress Code or team Students.
The students are constantly reminded of dress code and the consequences that come with defiance of said dress code. According to SCHS, our dress code states that student’s shirts must cover stomach and have no cleavage the shirts may also be in a tank top style which has to have a 2-inch strap. The shirts can either be a collared shirt (white, black, maroon, grey and navy blue) or an SCHS spirit shirt. Long pants may have rips only from the knee down and shorts cannot have any rips and must be a 6-inch inseam. Colors include denim, navy, grey, black, maroon and khaki. Dresses and skirts must be to the knee and hoodies are allowed with no inappropriate text and/or graphics (school appropriate). The consequence of not following the dress code is getting a lunch detention and when you constantly do not follow dress code the consequences will become more severe.
One issue with addressing dress code is that many students have said that when a staff member calls out a student who is out of the dress code, the staff member is said to be addressing the situation in an unprofessional manner. Some students have said that the staff was, “rude”, “had an attitude” and “automatically assuming the worst”. We will not be disclosing the names of these students for their own privacy. Of course, not all staff members are addressing students in this way. There are many staff that are kind and professional about the situation. One student says that, “staff should approach the situation in a different way”. Again, we will not be disclosing the name of this student for their privacy. All in all, both the student and staff member should show no disrespect to one another for any reason. There should be respect going both ways during any communication.
Many female students feel that dress code is unfair to them. Many girls feel that dress code points out too many things and can make girls feel insecure about themselves. This student Madison White said that, “I have observed that curvier girls are more likely to get dress coded than thinner girls.” Many students, boys and girls have agreed with this statement. Dress code has also annoyed the parents of these children. Mrs. Singh said, “it’s not these young girls fault that a woman’s body is sexualized and they have to be restricted so much because over the years society has deemed that.” Also, the parents and students have said that there should be a double standard between the girls and boys dress code. On many accounts, females have said that they have worn something that a boy wore the same brand and everything, and they got dress coded. This tends to frustrate many females.
