Opinion

Students share thoughts on dress code

Markayla Howard, Staff Writer|April 1, 2023

The following items have been determined to be unacceptable to wear at school, per the Denton ISD Student Code of Conduct/Handbook:

Accessories that create a disruption
Accessories applied to the facial area, tongue, or body such as safety pins to the eye area, studs, or rings through the nose
Any headgear other than part of an approved school uniform
Bandanas
Bare midriffs
Chains or accessories which can be used as a weapon (such as spiked collars/bracelets)
Display of undergarments
Flip-flops (except in high schools, or as determined by the administration on all campuses)
Garments containing offensive or obscene words or phrases, pictures, symbols, or images
Garments that promote or advertise alcohol, tobacco, or other prohibited products
Halter tops or tank tops
Mesh/net clothing
Pajamas, slippers, or house shoes
Ragged or intentionally cut-torn clothing as determined inappropriate by the campus principal or designee
Saggy/baggy pants
See-through apparel, including leggings
Shirts open at the sides (excessively large armholes)
Short shorts/skirts (mid-thigh length)
Steel-toed shoes (except in identified CTE classes)
Strapless dresses/blouses
Sunglasses
Unnatural cosmetic contact lens colors (considered distracting)
Inappropriate hairstyles that cause disruption
Visible tattoos and body art that promote nudity, obscenity, or gang activity are unacceptable and must be covered.

According to the Braswell administration, the current dress code was put into place to promote education, safety, and professionalism. The dress code, found in the district’s student-parent handbook, prohibits the wearing of particular items of clothing, such as shirts that expose the midriff or hats, during school hours.

“We want to promote the idea that students should look professional when coming to the school,” Dawn McCullough, associate principal, said. “We have a dress code as adults and in the building, we adhere to that.”

Beyond the desire to encourage professional dress, enforcing the dress code is intended to maintain a safe learning environment, according to McCullough.

“Some of these rules are just to maintain safety, maintain order, and things like that.” McCullough said. “We wouldn’t want someone to wear a hood over their head with the drawstring all tied, we need to be able to identify who’s in the building.”

Some students like DaNeysha Pittman, 12, agree with McCullough and the rest of administration.

“I feel like we should have a dress code because there’s some stuff y’all shouldn’t be wearing,” Pittman said, “but for the most part it’s okay.”

Amir Paschal, 9, is generally unaffected by the dress code during day-to-day activities on campus.

“I don’t get dress-coded like that so I don’t have any thoughts on it,” Paschal said. “I mean, I haven’t had any problems with it personally.”

Other students feel as if the dress code could stand to be less strict, asserting that enforcement of the code can be dependent on uncontrollable physical qualities, such as height or weight.

“I feel like it’s based on your body type,” Ariona Deener, 9, said. “I’ve worn way worse stuff than other people do, and they’re getting dress-coded for wearing shorts that are close to their knees. All because I’m skinny, that’s not fair.”

Some, like Myah Williams, 12, think that enforcement of the dress code should not change, but the handbook instead should be updated.

“Maybe hats should be off the dress code cause like some people like to wear beanies and it gets cold and it’s cold inside, so I understand,” Williams said.

Nyla Loper, 11, is open to the idea of a meeting between student and administration to discuss the dress code.

“I feel like it’s good to hear from different sides of everybody, so I wouldn’t mind doing it,” Loper said. “We would get to compare a student’s point of view to an administrative point of view and really get everybody’s feelings across.”