By Nic Hoffman
Archivist & Copy Editor

The school dress code, although perhaps poorly phrased, does not in any way discriminate against female students.

Some point to the student handbook, specifically to two paragraphs. The “Girls” paragraph, as some may label it, states one sentence about the female code and then two sentences about general dress problems that are commonly seen with the female population. It concludes with four sentences of procedures about replacing inappropriate attire.

The “Boys” paragraph follows the same format, albeit in only three sentences. These paragraphs, however, discriminate more against males than females. The sentence about female attire states that “Girls’ tops are to have a one-inch wide strap (minimum) on each shoulder.” The male regulation is stricter, stating that “Boys are not permitted to wear muscle shirts at any time during the school day.” Although girls are restricted by the width of their straps, boys are prohibited from tank tops at all.

The list beneath this section in the student handbook explains the paragraphs. This list includes inappropriate attire and, among hats, hoods, bandanas, and chains, two lines relating to gender-specific attire. One line reads “Tank Tops/Sleeveless Shirts (Gentlemen).” Below it reads a line “Tops with less than a 1-inch strap on each shoulder (Ladies).” These are all in compliance with what is read in the above paragraphs.

The continuation of the “Girls” paragraph reads that necklines should be conservative and that backs and midsections must be covered, restrictions that are then reaffirmed in the list of inappropriate attire, and are not assigned a gender in that list, making it clear that although it is directed to girls, it applies to all students. The points towards the girls are a result of the fact that more often girls are the ones to have the violations of this nature. In the paragraph directed at the boys, it states how “Any clothing identified as gang attire is not permitted.” This is generally a problem that applies to the male population, but is still a general rule. Just as a female student wearing gang apparel would be asked to change, a male exposing his neckline, back, or midsection would be asked to change.

The school is entirely allowed to try to fix this problem by reminding students what violation they commonly break. Just as a teacher who notices a group of boys consistently arriving late and reminds them that their lateness is a violation, the paragraphs referring to each gender are simply nice reminders to help students, and are logical as they address the common breaches in the code by each gender. Further, as the female attire problem is more noticeable in the early school year and late school year, the announcements made at those times directed towards the women are simply in good intention, not meant to demean a specific gender.

Although the school does have separate dress codes for each gender, the discrepancy is on one sole article of clothing and is not against females in any way, rather against men. The school need not consider society in its dress code, which is reasonably fair and equal, and it is not the responsibility of the school to establish an environment in which men and women dress entirely the same. The dress code itself is equal, one point separating the two genders, a point so minute in comparison to the code as a whole that it is ignorable in the grand scheme of things. They have no arguable restrictions specifically against women, and are as fair and equitable as possible.

Important to note is that while the female population can wear any article of clothing the male population can wear, the reverse does not apply, due to the tank top discrepancy. One of the mottos of our school is that Today’s Decisions Influence Tomorrow’s Opportunities, and if the female population is upset about constant reminders about the dress code, their decision today to not breach the dress code will influence the reaction the school takes to address each gender.