A Hole In The Dress Code

With the arrival of yet another school year and the ease of summer gone, students find themselves struggling to get back into the routine of school.  Homework, teachers, and the endless lunch lines in the cafeteria can be enough to drive most kids crazy.  Perhaps one of the biggest problems that students face with the return of the school year relates to the dress code.  Having spent most of their summer being able to wear anything that they want, many people find it difficult to put away their tank tops and baseball hats and make way for skirts and polo shirts.  While it’s important that the dress code be followed, there is one aspect of it that tends to be taken far too seriously: jeans.

As a brand new high school, it’s important that Allatoona presents itself as well-organized and respectable.  The administrators and staff work hard to keep the school clean and running smoothly, so naturally it’s understandable that they want to make sure the student body not only acts appropriately, but dresses appropriately as well.  However, the idea that jeans with holes in them could be considered “inappropriate” for school clashes with the common styles of today and presents a big problem when it comes to finding a pair that fits the dress code requirements.  Most stores nowadays create jeans that have a more run-down style, and it’s difficult to find a pair that doesn’t have holes in them.  Many students’ wardrobes consist almost entirely of jeans that have holes, and do not have the economic means to go out and purchase new ones.

In addition, the punishment for wearing such jeans is quite severe.  There is no need to send someone to ISS without giving him or her the option of having a parent bring him or her a new pair of pants, even if they are a repeated offender.  There is simply no need.  ISS serves as a punishment for much more series offenses, and should not be filled with students that have merely come to school with a hole in their jeans. This punishment is not fair, especially when the student was unaware that the slight hole would be a problem.  Instead, repeated offenders could be given something to wear over their clothes, such as a lab coat.  If the hole is too far down the leg, duct tape could be placed over it.

While the dress code is an important part of keeping a school presentable, the aspect of holes in jeans is one not worth fussing about.  For many students, the kinds of jeans they wear are expressions of who they are, and it isn’t fair to punish them because they are deemed “inappropriate” or “sloppy.”