These past few weeks the dress code has been a huge issue in our school. So much so that an email was sent out on September 7, 2022. This email explained how the dress code will be “Strictly enforced”. Some of the items of clothing mentioned in the email include crop tops, shirts with logos promoting inappropriate items, tops exposing the midriff and/or chest, pants that sag exposing the undergarments, and shorts exposing their behind. Some students took this to social media, explaining their concerns about the unfairness of the dress code, and how “only girls are being dress coded.”  I interviewed some students about their opinions and experiences with the new rules. 

     According to Junior student Sage Johnson, “It is a distraction when myself or another student gets dress-coded in the classroom because it can take away from the classwork… we as female students should feel comfortable wearing whatever we feel comfortable in, without being sexualized. I do understand the reasoning for most of the dress code rules, but it is not fair because a lot of the male students don’t get dress coded. It’s only females.”

     “I was on my way to class when a supervisor told me to go to the office. I missed half of the class time in math and wasn’t able to finish my test or get my extra credit because I had to wait for my mom to bring me clothes. My mom was fine with my outfit, I know that if it was inappropriate she would tell me. This new dress code fully targets females as I still see guys sagging and showing their underwear and not being told anything about it. That is allowed while showing a bit of midriff is a problem,” says Leah Pena, PVHS Junior.

     According to Madden Dowling’s take, “Someone got dress-coded while in class. This took away from the time the teacher could have been teaching us instead of dress-coding another student. This student was a girl, and I do think it is very biased that only the girls get dress coded and not the guys. For girls, it seems unfair, for guys it has not been enforced as the email sent out said it would, as I still see guys sagging everywhere. I do not feel distracted by what other people are wearing.” These three students explained their opinions on the new dress code, as well as how it affects/ has affected their education so far. They explained how they have or have seen someone get dress-coded, with these people only being females, showing that the strictness is only being enforced towards the female students. How do you feel about the dress code?