Many of us can relate to the classic teenager scenario of spending excessive amounts of time in front of a mirror, debating which outfit looks best and the most presentable.
When it comes to dressing themselves for school, Schreiber students are, for the most part, obedient in following the dress code. Most students, even those with an appreciation for high fashion, often blend their love for style with appropriate dress for school.
The school dress code relies on the relationship between parents and students, and calls upon all members of the student body to exhibit responsible judgment on how they will respect the policy.
“I like the dress code as it is currently written,” said Principal Mr. Ira Pernick. “I want students to be responsible in their attire for school and still have the freedom to express themselves.”
Simply stated, the dress code states that all students should pay attention to personal hygiene and dress “appropriately” for school.
It also indicates that school staff are responsible for reinforcing acceptable student dress and helping students understand what is and what isn’t appropriate in a school setting.
Additionally, the school board requires students to wear protective gear in certain classes, like during science labs, and strongly prohibits any clothing that bears any sign of obscenity, racial, ethnic, sexual, or religious prejudice.
However, aside from these provisions, Schreiber’s dress code leaves everything else up to individual interpretation. Many wonder if a stricter dress code would better serve the school community.
Considering that students have, for the most part, respected the dress code, stricter authority is simply not necessary. School administrators seem to deal with inappropriate dress rather rarely, as blatant or offensive disrespect of the dress code is not frequently observed in the halls of our school.
“I think the dress code is perfectly fine as it is,” said senior Sofiya Semenova. “We are in high school and mature enough to dress appropriately. In all my years of high school, I haven’t seen any extreme cases of inappropriate dressing.”
It is important for students not to wear inappropriate articles of clothing in the classroom and around the school in order to avoid distractions that can disrupt students’ learning experiences. Most students seem to respect this need for adherence to the school’s rules.
Still, students should not become lax about following the dress code, and should keep in mind the possible consequences of their attire.
Especially with the recent implementation of the Dignity Act, students will have to continue to follow the dress code protocol strictly.
Students may remember that in middle school, going against the dress code was a much graver offense than it is at Schreiber. At Weber, everyone had to follow arbitrary guidelines that came dangerously close to infringing on students’ First Amendment rights to free expression.
Freshmen may have found more freedom then they did in Weber, but all students must be careful to avoid abusing this newfound freedom.