Back to School: Dress Code

There was a girl at a local high school that recently got sent home because of the color of her hair... They said it was "distracting" to other students and faculty. Here's where I have an issue with that... Her hair wasn't even something bright or neon colored. It was a darker/richer shade of natural red.

My son is 14. About to go into High School. He also wonders how hair is distracting.

That said, here where we are near Houston his dress code was:

K-5 - Free Dress (within reason)
6-8 - Standard Dress (the casual uniform idea)
9-12 - Free Dress (within reason)

Standard dress still had a list of rules that changed slightly when he got to 6th grade:
Polo shirts only any color - at first it was NO LOGO/EMBLEMS. When he got to 6th they changed it to NO LOGO BIGGER THAN A QUARTER.
Also able to wear spirit shirts.
Khaki style pants any color (no camo), no large pockets. By the time he was in 8th grade the boys were rocking cargos in appropriate colors.
No Headwear

For girls though, there was a conversation about not being allowed to purposely show a cami/tank under the shirt.
No skinny pants
Appropriate length shorts and skirts
No heels (I think this is probably more of a safety issue really).

Now they do have to specify -
No pants worn on hips or below (or whatever phrasing equates to "no sagging! pull up your dang pants!")

I believe a spaghetti strap tank without a cover is inappropriate school wear. A regular tank maybe not.
Midriff shirt? Yep, inappropriate.
Those tiny shorts that aren't any bigger than the pocket on the back? Inappropriate. Skirt of same length is the same.

I work with a lady and she was wearing a sheer top with a tank top underneath it. She looked like she was going out for date night. When I said "wow that's super sexy for work!" she seemed really surprised. So use your discretion with that. If you can SEE the tank underneath it without being in a "certain light" I'd go for no. But I have one of that material that is not really see thru and can wear it to work without a tank underneath.

Please remember teen boys = horn dogs.

Our middle school dress code is very strict....however, I would drop by daughter off in the morning and the women teachers would have on skirts/dresses so short they couldn't bend over and tops with their boobs falling out. The kids aren't the problem. My daughter is in high school now and goes directly from PE to cross country practice. Yesterday she wore a tank top running shirt, crew neck no sleeve no razor back or anything like that. The PE teacher called her on it not being in dress code, but the girls can were freaking booty shorts in PE and nothing is said. I told her don't worry about it and carry on, btw it was 100 here yesterday.

I also don't get the whole hair color big deal. Red, blue, pink, purple after the first day of seeing it, the kids don't care and certainly are not distracted by it.

We do our best to abide by the code, but my daughter is 4'10" and 80 lbs, she wears a size 7/8 kids short, hello of course they will be short on her they are made for a 7 years olds wait and length. I try my best to buy her longer bermuda shorts for school so they are thigh lenght but there is only so much you can do.

Such a waste of things to worry about.

Here's my daughter's High School Dress Code - below.

Sounds similar to yours:

No head gear (hats, caps, earphones, etc)
No bare midriffs
No low-cut shirts (at neckline or under arms)
No pants worn below hips, exposing underwear or skin
No short shorts or mini skirts
No skimpy-strapped tank tops or tube tops
No muscle shirts
No offensive or obscene language on clothing, pictures or words depicting sex
drugs alcohol or weapons
No studded jewelry
NO EXCEPTIONS

To me, that's a reasonable dress code. Some schools are not so reasonable.

This one IS good!

Please remember teen boys = horn dogs.

Yes, for some boys that's true. But why are the girls then responsible for how they dress because of that?

I have more of a problem with what dress codes (usually for girls only) are saying about our society's view of women. Dress codes reinforce that clothes reflect the worth or morals of a girl in some way. Sending a girl home for wearing clothes others perceive as "too sexy" for school is basically saying her education is not as important as avoiding distracting her male peers. Which is especially disgusting to teach girls at an age where many of them have no other motives for wearing tank tops than because its HOT outside, they don't want to *look* hot, and are unaware of the stigma attached to showing skin until they are *taught* it. Honestly schools need to either let kids wear whatever their parents dress them in, or just use uniforms. I'm all for uniforms to be honest, there is so much social pressure, time, and energy that goes into worrying about how students look that should honestly be focused on LEARNING, which is what they are there for. Uniforms make it simple.

Please remember teen boys = horn dogs.

Yes, for some boys that's true. But why are the girls then responsible for how they dress because of that?

So you're saying it's ok to wear a cami, mini skirt and heels to school? A learning environment? No.
And I wouldn't let my son wear those stupid shirts with the arms cut out so girls can view his chest either. Not at school.

I even don't like the swimwear for boys on the swim team.

I say they should dress business casual.

One time, one of my 5th grade students wore a shirt that read: "My boyfriend is hotter than yours."

I looked at it an thought it was pretty stupid, and that parent must be pretty stupid for buying it/allowing the kid to wear it to school (the girl was overweight and really didn't need to put herself out there for other kids to bully by wearing a ridiculous shirt).

The principal called ME down to her office to chew ME out about this kid' shirt. I said, "Look, I didn't put it on her...call her mother and complain." Anyway the point of the story is that some administrators DO spend way too much time worrying about things that don't really matter.