Altering the dress code at Redmond Middle School
Dear RMS Faculty,
It has recently come to our attention that teachers have been told to strictly enforce, or “crack down on,” the school dress code, especially as the weather begins to get hotter. The student body understands that inappropriate clothing may come in to play given the rise in temperature, but we also believe that dress codes have gone too far. The dress code is extremely biased against girls, and it is hard for girls to meet these standards with the current clothes and fashion. By revoking students’ rights to wear the clothes they feel most comfortable in, freedom of speech is unnecessarily violated. These rules and regulations are disrupting a student's right to learn peacefully. If a student does not follow the dress code, he/she is then taken out of a so-called "positive learning climate" to get reprimanded by a dean of the school, and often receives a consequence of some sort. Although this might seem like a reasonable procedure, it's quite the opposite. Dress code rules do need to be enacted, yet in a school environment, many students who have been dress coded are not wearing scandalous attire. Dress codes should not be abolished, but rather altered to meet the appropriate attire students should be able to wear during summer months.
Dress coding has its place, but certain unreasonable rules under the dress code have gone too far. One of the most outrageous of these is the no bra-strap rule. This rule states that “Undergarments and private body parts must be covered.” While this rule is necessary for obvious reasons, a simple strap of a bra should not be blanketed under this comment. Bra-straps can be difficult to conceal, and for reasons such as comfort and fashion, this rule creates an impossible dilemma. This especially applies to sports bras or some bralettes, which come up to the neck and are next to impossible to conceal without wearing a turtleneck. We understand that you are worried that our bra straps might be distracting to other students, or take away from their learning, but this is purely materialistic. It wastes more of a student’s learning time to be pulled from class and punished for something they essentially can’t control, than a student be “distracted” by a small strip of fabric. On top of this, the handbook states that the “Neckline must be above the armpits.” This conflicts with the undergarment rule, as if one has nothing covering their shoulders, which are above their armpits, bra-straps will be visible.
Another example of the unfair dress code is the “finger rule”. This rule states that when a student puts their arms straight at their sides, their shorts must be below their fingertips. This rule is very unfair because it is based solely on the length of the pants compared to the individual. For example, if a person had short legs but long arms, the rule explains that the person would have to wear longer pants than a person that had shorter arms. Furthermore, the school’s handbook doesn’t mention anything specific about this finger rule. It clearly only states that the, “Top of pants/skirts must be above the line between tops of hipbones,” and that, “all shirts must cover midriff and underwear.” It says absolutely nothing about the length of which said shorts must be. More than 75% of RMS students interviewed said that they were dress coded based on this finger rule, which has no basis – it was thought up by teachers and isn’t present in the handbook.
Students are outraged at the constrictions of the dress code and are speaking out about it. 8th grader Jiwon Kim recalls a memory from this past year: “One day I wore a red tank top to school and a staff member called me out, saying that it was against the dress code because he could see my armpits. When I tried to explain to him that this wasn’t against the dress code, he refused to listen and told me that he didn’t want to argue with a teenage girl.” 7th grader Shriya Ravi shares her experience with us - “I was standing in the Library, working on a break-out box, and I leaned over the table to grab something. When I did, my shirt came up a little and I was immediately dress coded.” Many people, especially girls, are dress coded for outlandish reasons. Students also have very strong feelings about why the dress codes are wrong. 7th grade ASB rep Luly Reijtman says, “It’s time to co-create the new code because it is sexist and it’s telling girls that their bodies are invalid. They care more about a single boy’s education than a girl’s. They make us seem like we’re trying to be provocative, but we aren’t, we are just trying to go out every day like the boys. We all have different bodies; therefore, we wear different things. Dress codes are dumb because bra straps aren’t distracting, and neither are our thighs or belly buttons… If boys are so distracted and are busy looking at girls that is their fault, not ours. The dress code is sexist and needs to change.”
Dress coding rules are also very confusing, with different sources claiming different things. For some teachers, dress code rules in their classrooms are strictly enforced, whereas others are completely against it. The need of one universal rule is necessary, especially at the age where students are finding their own voice and what they deem is right or wrong. The handbook states that one must cover their midriff, hips, and undergarments, while teachers enforce the bra strap rule and finger rule, yet on the LWSD website, it states that, “Student dress shall not be regulated except when there is a reasonable expectation that:
1. A health or safety hazard shall be presented by the student’s dress or appearance,
2. Damage to school property shall result from the student’s dress, or
3. The student’s dress or appearance shall create material and substantial disruption of the educational process at the school.”
The site goes on to mention that, “In terms of this policy, disruption includes, but is not necessarily limited to:
1. Student rioting, destruction of property, or
2. Widespread shouting, or boisterous conduct, or
3. Substantial student participation in a school boycott, sit-in, walk-out, or
4. Other related forms of activity”
These many contradicting dress codes all supposedly apply to RMS students. Several members of the student population researched other school district dress codes to find ways we could improve upon the RMS dress code, in order to make it fairer and less sexist. We found the Edmonds School District dress code policy and values. We hope that you will consider applying them or using them as a basis to revise RMS’s dress code.
“Our values are:
- All students should be able to dress comfortably for school and engage in the educational environment without fear of or actual unnecessary discipline or body shaming.
- All students and staff should understand that they are responsible for managing their own personal “distractions” without regulating individual students’ clothing/self-expression.
- Students dress code enforcement should not result in unnecessary barriers to school attendance.
- School staff should be trained and able to use student/body-positive language to explain the code and to address code violations.
- Teachers should focus on teaching without the additional and often uncomfortable burden of dress code enforcement.
- Reasons for conflict and inconsistent and/or inequitable discipline should be minimized whenever possible.”
The dress code at RMS not only disrupts student learning rather than free distraction, it also subjects girls to feel lesser of themselves and demotes self-love. It may have started as a positive idea, but has turned into a way to oppress self-expression and revoke the freedom of speech from students at RMS. We hope that you will take our opinions into consideration and revise RMS’s dress code policy.
Sincerely,
Members of the RMS Population
Signera petitionenSignera petitionenIt has recently come to our attention that teachers have been told to strictly enforce, or “crack down on,” the school dress code, especially as the weather begins to get hotter. The student body understands that inappropriate clothing may come in to play given the rise in temperature, but we also believe that dress codes have gone too far. The dress code is extremely biased against girls, and it is hard for girls to meet these standards with the current clothes and fashion. By revoking students’ rights to wear the clothes they feel most comfortable in, freedom of speech is unnecessarily violated. These rules and regulations are disrupting a student's right to learn peacefully. If a student does not follow the dress code, he/she is then taken out of a so-called "positive learning climate" to get reprimanded by a dean of the school, and often receives a consequence of some sort. Although this might seem like a reasonable procedure, it's quite the opposite. Dress code rules do need to be enacted, yet in a school environment, many students who have been dress coded are not wearing scandalous attire. Dress codes should not be abolished, but rather altered to meet the appropriate attire students should be able to wear during summer months.
Dress coding has its place, but certain unreasonable rules under the dress code have gone too far. One of the most outrageous of these is the no bra-strap rule. This rule states that “Undergarments and private body parts must be covered.” While this rule is necessary for obvious reasons, a simple strap of a bra should not be blanketed under this comment. Bra-straps can be difficult to conceal, and for reasons such as comfort and fashion, this rule creates an impossible dilemma. This especially applies to sports bras or some bralettes, which come up to the neck and are next to impossible to conceal without wearing a turtleneck. We understand that you are worried that our bra straps might be distracting to other students, or take away from their learning, but this is purely materialistic. It wastes more of a student’s learning time to be pulled from class and punished for something they essentially can’t control, than a student be “distracted” by a small strip of fabric. On top of this, the handbook states that the “Neckline must be above the armpits.” This conflicts with the undergarment rule, as if one has nothing covering their shoulders, which are above their armpits, bra-straps will be visible.
Another example of the unfair dress code is the “finger rule”. This rule states that when a student puts their arms straight at their sides, their shorts must be below their fingertips. This rule is very unfair because it is based solely on the length of the pants compared to the individual. For example, if a person had short legs but long arms, the rule explains that the person would have to wear longer pants than a person that had shorter arms. Furthermore, the school’s handbook doesn’t mention anything specific about this finger rule. It clearly only states that the, “Top of pants/skirts must be above the line between tops of hipbones,” and that, “all shirts must cover midriff and underwear.” It says absolutely nothing about the length of which said shorts must be. More than 75% of RMS students interviewed said that they were dress coded based on this finger rule, which has no basis – it was thought up by teachers and isn’t present in the handbook.
Students are outraged at the constrictions of the dress code and are speaking out about it. 8th grader Jiwon Kim recalls a memory from this past year: “One day I wore a red tank top to school and a staff member called me out, saying that it was against the dress code because he could see my armpits. When I tried to explain to him that this wasn’t against the dress code, he refused to listen and told me that he didn’t want to argue with a teenage girl.” 7th grader Shriya Ravi shares her experience with us - “I was standing in the Library, working on a break-out box, and I leaned over the table to grab something. When I did, my shirt came up a little and I was immediately dress coded.” Many people, especially girls, are dress coded for outlandish reasons. Students also have very strong feelings about why the dress codes are wrong. 7th grade ASB rep Luly Reijtman says, “It’s time to co-create the new code because it is sexist and it’s telling girls that their bodies are invalid. They care more about a single boy’s education than a girl’s. They make us seem like we’re trying to be provocative, but we aren’t, we are just trying to go out every day like the boys. We all have different bodies; therefore, we wear different things. Dress codes are dumb because bra straps aren’t distracting, and neither are our thighs or belly buttons… If boys are so distracted and are busy looking at girls that is their fault, not ours. The dress code is sexist and needs to change.”
Dress coding rules are also very confusing, with different sources claiming different things. For some teachers, dress code rules in their classrooms are strictly enforced, whereas others are completely against it. The need of one universal rule is necessary, especially at the age where students are finding their own voice and what they deem is right or wrong. The handbook states that one must cover their midriff, hips, and undergarments, while teachers enforce the bra strap rule and finger rule, yet on the LWSD website, it states that, “Student dress shall not be regulated except when there is a reasonable expectation that:
1. A health or safety hazard shall be presented by the student’s dress or appearance,
2. Damage to school property shall result from the student’s dress, or
3. The student’s dress or appearance shall create material and substantial disruption of the educational process at the school.”
The site goes on to mention that, “In terms of this policy, disruption includes, but is not necessarily limited to:
1. Student rioting, destruction of property, or
2. Widespread shouting, or boisterous conduct, or
3. Substantial student participation in a school boycott, sit-in, walk-out, or
4. Other related forms of activity”
These many contradicting dress codes all supposedly apply to RMS students. Several members of the student population researched other school district dress codes to find ways we could improve upon the RMS dress code, in order to make it fairer and less sexist. We found the Edmonds School District dress code policy and values. We hope that you will consider applying them or using them as a basis to revise RMS’s dress code.
“Our values are:
- All students should be able to dress comfortably for school and engage in the educational environment without fear of or actual unnecessary discipline or body shaming.
- All students and staff should understand that they are responsible for managing their own personal “distractions” without regulating individual students’ clothing/self-expression.
- Students dress code enforcement should not result in unnecessary barriers to school attendance.
- School staff should be trained and able to use student/body-positive language to explain the code and to address code violations.
- Teachers should focus on teaching without the additional and often uncomfortable burden of dress code enforcement.
- Reasons for conflict and inconsistent and/or inequitable discipline should be minimized whenever possible.”
The dress code at RMS not only disrupts student learning rather than free distraction, it also subjects girls to feel lesser of themselves and demotes self-love. It may have started as a positive idea, but has turned into a way to oppress self-expression and revoke the freedom of speech from students at RMS. We hope that you will take our opinions into consideration and revise RMS’s dress code policy.
Sincerely,
Members of the RMS Population
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