The debate of the dress code has gone on for a long time.

Whenever I hear about it, it’s normally about how girls can wear something and get dress coded because it “distracts others,” and about how boys don’t get dress coded.

Then, there are others saying that the “distracted others” are mostly boys who should be able to control themselves.

Adding on, there are rules about head coverings. These rules imply that people wearing head coverings in observation of their religion would be forced to contradict religious beliefs.

These opinions come from people who haven’t truly looked into the dress code and noticed the flaws.

The dress code states that crop tops and spaghetti straps are not allowed. These clothes are primarily worn by girls. However, cut offs, which are primarily worn by boys, are not included in the list of things students cannot wear. I’ve seen cut offs worn to school that basically show the entire chest of the person wearing them. So, if a girl wears a shirt that shows her shoulders that is “worse” than a guy wearing a shirt that shows his entire upper body (the dress code does not have specifics for genders, this is just an example).

In the dress code, it says “The following are not acceptable: hats, hoods, stocking caps, doo rags, skull caps, or other head coverings.” This made me wonder about hijabs. They would fall under the category of “other head coverings”. This implies that if a student wore a hijab to school, they would be told to take it off. I know that if someone did wear something such as a hijab or anything else that has to do with religious beliefs, the administration in our building wouldn’t tell them to take it off. I just find it interesting the way it is worded in the handbook.

Students also aren’t allowed to wear “gang-related apparel such as headbands or bandanas” on their foreheads. This doesn’t make any sense to me. If someone wears a bandana as a headband, which I have seen before, it’s technically not allowed at school. Folding or rolling a bandana into something like a headband isn’t wrong.

Lastly, the dress code says students may not “infringe” on the rights of others. I’m not sure how what I am wearing has anything to do with somebody else. If they don’t like what I’m wearing they don’t have to look at me. By limiting what we are allowed to wear, our freedom of expression is also being limited.

I think the dress code is something that needs to be looked into. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but it is very easy to misinterpret.