I believe that it would be beneficial for our schools to adopt dress codes.

Although some may

argue that this action would restrict the individual student’s freedom of expression, I do not agree. Our
right to express ourselves is important, but in our society none of us has unrestricted freedom to do as
we like at all times. We must all learn discipline, respect the feelings of others, and learn how to operate
in the real world in order to be successful. Dress codes would not only create a better learning
environment, but would also help prepare students for their futures.

Perhaps the most important benefit of adopting dress codes would be creating a better learning
environment. Inappropriate clothing can be distracting to fellow students who are trying to concentrate.
Short skirts, skimpy tops, and low pants are fine for after school, but not for the classroom. T-shirts with
risky images or profanity may be offensive to certain groups. Students should espress themselves
through art or creative writing, not clothing. With fewer distractions, students can concentrate on
getting a good education which can help them later on.

Another benefit of having a dress code is that it will prepare students to dress properly for
different places. When you go to a party you do not wear the same clothes you wear to church.
Likewise, when you dress for work you do not wear the same clothes you wear at the beach. Many
professions even require uniforms. Having a dress code in high school will help students adjust to the
real world.

Lastly, with all the peer pressure in school, many students worry about fitting in. If a dress code
(or even uniforms) were required, there would be less emphasis on how you look, and more emphasis
on learning.

In conclusion, there are many important reasons our schools should adopt dress codes. Getting
an education is hard enough without being distracted by inappropriate t-shirts or tight pants. Learning
to dress for particular occasions prepares us for the real world. And teens have enough pressure already
without having to worry about what they are wearing.

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Over the past decade, the school dress code has become an increasingly common policy in many
communities worldwide. As opposed to the requirements of students to wear specific clothing in the
form of uniforms, dress codes provide guidelines through which students are allowed to wear any
clothing that meets the school's requirements, whether they pertain to the color, style or cut of the
clothing. Consequently, school dress codes are designed to create a certain atmosphere in a school
while providing students with a bit of freedom of expression through their wardrobe.

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Once high school arrives, students are required to follow rules. If one doesn’t follow
these rules, consequences will be enforced. Dress code is among the rules of the
handbook and is enforced daily.  Dress codes are primarily written statements of what a
school views as acceptable and unacceptable attire to wear when attending school.
Some of the Hermon High School dress code rules are as follows: “shorts shall measure no
more than 7 inches from the center of a bent knee”, “skirts shall measure no more than 5 inches
from the center of a bent knee”, “no transparent or torn or ripped clothing”, no cleavage, no hats,
“tank tops must have straps measuring no less than 1 inch, no bare shoulders, and various
other regulations. A simple concept, a daring controversy. The issue of dress code lies within
the First Amendment which includes the freedom of religion and speech. But that isn’t
necessarily the big picture when it comes to the views on dress code. Instead of bickering about
how wide the straps of your tank tops are and how it disturbs your freedom of speech rights,
let’s discuss how the safety of our schools depends heavily on the clothing students put on their
bodies, because according to The National School Board Association, approximately 135,000
guns are brought into America’s 85,000 public schools every day.

It’s the school's’ responsibility to provide a safe and productive learning environment and if that
means that the faculty has to enforce the guidelines of dress code- so be it. Author Brian Wilson
with co-writer Maureen McMahon of “Counterpoint: School Dress Codes Improve the Learning
Environment”, realize that it will take far more than dress code or school uniforms to ever solve
the problems of underachieving public schools. The hard work from teachers and students will.
Having a distraction free environment is needed to ensure a properly conducive academic
learning atmosphere. Women’s shoulder showing or bra strap showing isn’t distracting, but
having naked bodies and vulgar signs on shirts are distracting.  Students still argue that being
asked to change shirts or other items of clothing with vulgar images is a violation of their right to
freedom of speech. Melinda Swafford (Ph.D), Lee Ann Jolley (Ph.D. CFCS), and Leigh
Southward (Ph.D) write in their article, “The Student Dress Code Debate”, how adolescents,
especially in transitional periods, can use their dress to condone attitudes, behaviors, beliefs,
values, and group affiliations. Clothing can also be used to display their identity, autonomy, peer
group integration, sociopolitical awareness, individuality, and self-perception (Workman,
Auseneau, Ewell). Authors of that article also use the Arnold and Workman (2003) experiment
whose study reads that “students who owned offensive T-shirts were more likely to engage in
violent behavior, engage in substance abuse, and have a negative attitude towards school.”
Although this information doesn’t classify students who wear clothing with indecent images or
language as “bad” people, it may just give others the ‘false’ judgement of their character.

School uniforms are shunned by some students because they would like the freedom of
choosing clothing and looking their best, or they simply don’t want to wear the same clothes
everyday. Looking into Matt Donnelly’s “Dress Codes and Uniforms in Public Schools”, the
history of school uniforms dates back to at least the 16th century in England at the University of
Cambridge where students were required to wear them as a way to stop the spread of new
fashions. Since then, the perspective on school uniforms and dress code has changed
drastically. Once uniforms were introduced to America, the use of them in the 19th and 20th
century was to keep control over the population of racial minority. Over time, school uniforms
become associated with the children of power and privilege. That meaning subsided and more
recently is used to create order and homogeneousness among students. Donnelly uses the
1994 Long Beach Experiment to express the many positive outcomes of dress code and school
uniforms. The Long Beach Experiment was based in Long Beach, California and adopted
school uniforms for the 60,000 students in its 75 schools. By the end of 1995, the school crime
rate had fallen by 36 percent. In 1999, the final experiment report summaries were created and
the results were astounding. School crime overall has dropped approximately 86%, student
enrollment in grades K-8 had increased 14%, sex offences down 93%, robbery/extortion down
85%, selling or using chemical substances down 48%, weapons or look-a-likes down 75%, and
dangerous devices down 96% (Lopez, 2003). This is hard evidence that the focus on academics
increased and misbehavior markedly decreased

School uniforms will definitely not appeal to everyone and probably never will, but the idea of
having harmony in school is appealing. Many assume that school boards have complete control
over rule making and can decide on any ridiculous dress code rules they please. In reality,
school boards have to follow the Common Sense Rules. In any circumstance, these rules
should allow administrators to use common sense to create and enforce these rules and
regulations. “Before making radical decisions such as suspending students who otherwise have
always followed the rules administrators should consider the intent.” (Wilson, McMahon)

When all is considered, sexually suggestive, inappropriate, or possibly violent items of clothing
in the classroom is an obvious distraction and could end up harming a student’s academic
environment. Any inappropriate clothing is most likely to be associated with your character as
well as your peer relationships. Besides the emotional and learning aspects of poorly dressed
individuals, there is also the issue concerning school safety. Hermon High School, as well as
other high schools across the nation, has a dress code to ensure an ideal learning atmosphere
so students won’t have to worry about any potentially dangerous or distracting activities or
images. So, instead of concentrating on the small flaws of the dress code system, such as
measuring shorts and width of tank top straps, I feel students should look at the big picture and
how it helps keep a proper school environment and manage safety.