California School’s New Dress Code Will Give Students More Freedom To “Wear What They Want”
A California School’s new dress code is seeking to give students more freedom to wear the clothes they want.
By NathanG on August 22, 2018
A California school is taking a stand on its dress code policy. After recent frustration was shown, surrounding the strict dress code rules of other schools, a school in the San Francisco Bay area is introducing a revised dress code that they believe will be fair to all students.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Alameda Unified School District will allow students to wear a variety of clothing that, before, was considered inappropriate for school. Those against strict, school dress codes believe that punishing students for what they wear can result in shaming and body image issues. They continued by stating that school dress codes are often unfairly targeted at female students, with male students receiving more leeway.
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The Alameda Schools adopted this strategy, and rolled out the new dress code for the elementary, middle, and high schools over the summer. “We want kids and parents and guardians to be deciding what appropriate is,” explained Rebecca Baumgartner, an English and history teacher at Lincoln Middle School.
With this newer, more lenient dress code, the schools in the Alameda Unified School District hope to eliminate pressure and unfair treatment toward students and keep them invested. “We believe these changes will reduce inequitable and unnecessary discipline and help us maximize learning time,” said AUSD’s Chief Academic Officer, Steven Fong.
For more information about the school dress code and the clothing students are allowed to wear, click here.
