Every school to ever exist has probably had a dress code that is made to keep students from wearing non-academic clothing. Also in comparison, Millard West has much stricter dress codes.
A dress code is a new-ish development, being implemented in 1969. In a statement from FindLaw, the Supreme Court imposed the dress code to limit student expression which was seen as a way to create a disciplined environment. Technically the dress code has been around in religion, but became mandatory around 1969.
A current issue is Millard West having a much stricter dress code. In this Millard Dress Code Doc, Millard West has more specific rules compared to other schools. For example, “Any clothing found to be revealing and/or disruptive to the educational process is not to be worn at school or school activities. Any shirt/blouse worn to school will completely cover the back, front/chest, and stomach.” In comparison to other schools that list that shoulders should be covered which seems less restrictive.
Every school has power over its codes but if most schools can get away with such lax dress codes then Millard West could do the same.
Small violations can often seem unfair because most of the time they are noticeable. In an article from WGU (Western Governor University), small violations of the dress code can often go unnoticed and when a student is caught they find it unfair because other students were wearing the same thing. This is a big annoyance because it wastes the students’ and teachers’ time which shouldn’t occur in a learning environment.
The little problems for a majority of students can make the whole dress code feel like it is unfair. There are a few ways that the current dress code can be improved.
The impact of the dress code isn’t that major compared to other schools however some parts of the dress code can be updated to improve the learning environment. For example, in the same article from WGU, an administrator would take over the situation and talk with the student who violated the dress code. This means that no one other than the admin or student will chime in on how a student dresses. In the student handbook, it’s listed that “Millard West Administration will make the decisions regarding dress.” A specific person in the administration should be the overseer of this, not the entire administration because everyone could have varying opinions.
