Dress Codes

[Alec]

I just saw this interesting article on foxnews.com about a school in Texas that has suspended 700 kids so far this year over dress code violations. Wow! That's a lot. Where is Duncanville? http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99094,00.htmlThe public school system in Duncanville, Texas, has outraged parents and kids with a strict new dress code that has led to the suspension of 700 students since the start of the school year.

Duncanville School District's (search) policy calls for shirts to stay tucked in at all times and forbids blouses to be folded over the beltline. School officials have been handing down an average of 24 dress code suspensions a day for such violations. Do the schools where you live have strict dress codes?

What do you think about the trend to have uniforms in school?

[jamesglewisf]

Duncanville is a suburb of Dallas. It has been on the news here, but I'm surpised it made the national news.

My daughter's school has uniforms. It certainly takes out a lot of the mystery about what she'll wear to school. I think it is a good thing. My wife is disappointed that she doesn't get to buy my daughter really cute outfits for school, but it doesn't seem to stop her from buying them. That's not a complaint. I'm just saying that there are plenty of opportunities outside of school to dress up.

I'm wondering if the school will back off when it starts to run into funding problems for not having enough kids in school.

On a related subject, I'm sick and tired of the stupid zero-tolerance policies that they have nowadays. It leaves out room for judgment.

[Alec]

Zero tolerance seems like a cop-out by school administrators. It is probably a reaction to parents who don't back the teachers and admins, but instead blindly support their kids.

I'm amazed how parents will argue against their kids getting punished for something when the rules and punishments are clearly spelled out. I think you are teaching your kid an awful lesson when you always bail them out of trouble.

Imagine if our justice system worked that way!

[theyeti]

I not particularly fond of any of this relating to dress codes in general. To me it's a waste of time over something trivial, although I suppose if I'd grown up in that kind of environment I might think differently. It does have it's positives... but not when there's some sort of zero tolerance policy. That's REALLY a waste of time over something trivial.

Alec:
I'm amazed how parents will argue against their kids getting punished for something when the rules and punishments are clearly spelled out. I think you are teaching your kid an awful lesson when you always bail them out of trouble. I'm not amazed, at least not up here. It is bad parenting yes, but as soon as a parent complains the school's legs fall right out from under them. It's as if the school board and the administration only feels comfortable imposing themselves on those below them in status (the students), but when it comes to other adults they don't have any willpower to stand up for themselves.

[jamesglewisf]

I can tell you as an employer, that you need a dress code unless you want people coming to work/school in pajamas, nothing but underwear, etc. You'd think that at a company with mostly adults working that dress codes wouldn't be necessary, but they are. Without them, you get shockingly inappropriate dress from a small minority of the staff.

I'm personally amazed how people will dress their 5-6 year olds.

[Grimey]

I'm amazed at what women's dress codes look like. They have to get so specific that it is almost laughable. I've even seen ones that talk about how many inches above the knee a dress or skirt can be. It is odd that you have to tell someone in an office how to dress.

[theyeti]

Yep, we got that one here.

I'm thinking it's one of those things where it's not for the people who know better and have common sense... but the people who are stupid enough to get waaaayyy out of line with it.

Of course, why would someone hire those kinds of people in the first place?
Like Jim said, it's a small minority.