Dress Codes In Schools Essay

Yaneli Munoz

Mr. Sinclair

AP Lang and Comp

10 February 2023

Dress Code Enforcement The issue of dress codes in schools has been looked upon as controversial due to their enforcement and the policy itself. Dress codes state what students can and cannot wear to ensure students are learning in school. However, they’re enforced unequally, being forced upon mostly girls and people of different backgrounds. This critique of the dress code policy and enforcement has led students to feel a barrier between expressing themselves and staying focused in school. Since enforcement of dress codes throughout school districts varies and are also inconsistent among both faculty and student, it is both unethical and unfair for all parties involved; therefore,

“Dress codes are a necessary aspect of school, and they help teenagers to focus more in school”(IPL,2023). This information claims that the enforcement of the dress code helps teens to focus in school, however, this is not true. “That means students of color and poor students—most specifically, Black girls—are most likely to face consequences for violating school dress codes, causing them to miss class time. The more class they miss, the more likely it is that they will fall behind in school (Pendharkar, 2022). Referring back to the inequality shown in the enforcement of the dress code this information displays that not all students benefit from the dress code and learn more as it shows that they miss class time. This ensures why enforcement of dress codes needs to have a better direction on how to enforce the policy without disrupting one's education while including equality and

As time went on, dress code policy and enforcement favored white culture. “This is evident in schools banning items of clothing, or hairstyles associated with certain groups, like braids or dreadlocks,” (Pendharkar, 2022). This information shows how the enforcement of the dress code has turned towards targeting people of different cultures, which is unfair because school shouldn’t be a place to worry about how one wears their hair, but instead, focus on making the learning environment a safe space. These dress codes also strictly enforce restrictions on certain types of clothing. “The vast majority of dress codes—90 percent—ban clothing associated with girls, the GAO report found,” (Pendharkar, 2022). This statistic reflects how dress codes have become unethical due to the enforcement being more focused on girl clothing which does not provide a reasonable way to continue enforcing these policies on students this way. Throughout time dress code policies and their enforcement have grown to become unjust in public and private