Dress Code

Recently the Laurel Board of Education has decided on a new dress code system that many in the community deem unfit. We, the Laurel student body, would like to petition the revisions made to the dress code for the 2016-2017 school year. While we appreciate and understand the board's goal to make Laurel great again, we feel some of the additions are not necessary. For instance, many families in the Laurel School District do not possess the money to buy their children a whole new wardrobe when their wardrobe was previously deemed acceptable.
We would like to highlight the revision of the "NO TANK TOPS!!" rule. Completely eliminating tank tops because of the fear that shoulders could be a distraction is unnecessary and directly inhibits students ability to dress in a manner that allows them to be comfortable when learning in a hot enviroment. The previous rule stating that tank tops must be three fingers in width prevents too much skin from being shown, while still allowing students to stay cool in hot classrooms.
Also, we believe that the complete removal of jeggings and leggings should be revised. While we understand that leggings can be excessively tight or possible see through, we feel that in order to be covered and professional the only new rule should be that shirts need to cover the backside area. For example, students should be permitted to wear leggings under long shirts or dresses to cover everything. Another rule we would like to address is that shorts should be three inches from the knee. We find this to be an issue because every student is a different height and weight. As long as shorts cover and there is no excessive amount of skin and reach mid thigh or below, there should be no issue. Students again are stuck in hot classrooms that at times can reach above 80 degrees. Anything that students can do to keep cool and comfortable during the day should be welcome.
We understand that some of these changes may not be as dramatic to some as it is to us, but the students of Laurel feel that the new amendments are not necessary. We know that dressing professional and appropriate are necessary in a learning environment, but we respectively disagree with these additions. Finally, all of these amendments are a promotion of rape culture. Instead of telling students to respect one another or holding adults accountable for their actions, the school board decides that it is better to just tell us what to wear. The students of Laurel Jr/Sr High School understand that some of the amendments are necessary, but we ask for some revisions to be made.