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A New Twist on School Dress Codes

And here I thought my former parochial school’s dress code was stringent.

Sister Stephen Marie made sure the only skin that girls revealed during the school day (besides the flesh on our faces) was the inch of body tissue located near the knee cap where our skirts ended and the top of our long socks began.

Who knew that my ultra conservative plaid skirt, white shirt, blue tie combo would one day be the envy of public school kids in Indiana?

Last month school administrators in Richmond, Indiana imposed a new dress code for all students, which bans any apparel featuring words, stripes, plaids, floral prints, and illustrations. In addition, students are not allowed to wear collars cut any lower than a standard crew neck T-shirt. So, basically, anything but solid colors and high necklines are now blackballed in the district.

Translation: Teens should leave their “Just Do It!” shirts at home and kindergarteners better kiss their Disney Princess and Winnie-the-Pooh ensembles goodbye before boarding the school bus.

Needless to say, students and parents have not exactly embraced the school district’s new dress code policy. In fact, according to reports, since classes resumed on August 18th, a total of 239 students have been suspended for dress code violations.

In addition to the verbal threats that have been hurled at school officials regarding the new dress code, some guy, who identified himself to TV reporters as a “concerned citizen,” said he is working with the American Civil Liberties Union to sue the school district.

The district’s school superintendent told news reporters that the outcry from students was “to be expected” and that the dress code is a “work in progress.”

The superintendent says he has been meeting with parent-teacher groups and plans to relay their comments at the next school board meeting. The dress code might be revised as a result of those meetings, according to the superintendent.

What do you make of Richmond’s new dress code?

I bet the parents who “self uniform” are all for it.

Related Articles:

Parents As Fashion Police

How Far Would You Go To Pay For Your Kid’s Education?

Battling for Basic Education

This entry was posted in Education in the News by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.