Alexis+Robinson

Dress Codes in Public Schools... is it Really That Serious? By: Alexis Robinson

Parker, Jeff. "01/28 Cartoon- Deciphering Dress Codes." Cartoon. //Florida Today //. N.p., 28 Jan. 2010. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Felthauser, Dana. N.d. Photograph. //PennLive.com //. By Diana Fishlock. Web. 5 Dec. 2012

Research Question: Should schools be allowed to put restrictions on what students can wear?

I am interested in this topic because dress codes has been a major problem in schools for some time now. Students feel like they should be able to express themselves through what they wear at school because it is a part of their First Amendment rights to freedom of expression. The school systems believe that certain things should be censored in the school system, and they are only enforcing a dress code to avoid conflict. Dress codes in schools should definitely be abolished. The Pros and Cons of Having a Dress Code


 * ~ Pros ||~ Cons ||
 * It could decrease racial and gang related conflict. || Restrictions are put on freedom of expression rights. ||
 * <span style="color: #bc8adb; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">It would prohibit girls from being a distraction to boys and vise versa. || <span style="color: #bc8adb; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Students' creativity through clothing is restricted. ||
 * <span style="color: #bc8adb; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">It could censor students from derogatory ideas and beliefs that could distract the learning environment. || <span style="color: #bc8adb; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">It could also cause tension and conflict between students and teachers that enforce the dress code. ||
 * || <span style="color: #bc8adb; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Some students might feel as if other students get away with certain things in the dress code while others are punished (flawed system). ||

<span style="color: #f787c9; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Court Cases Used:

<span style="color: #f787c9; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1. Canady v. Bossier Parish School Board

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In this case, the Bossier Parish School Board implemented a mandatory school uniform policy beginning at the start of the 1999-2000 school year. Several parents of the students in the school district filed claims saying that the school's enforcement of the uniform policy "violated the children's first amendment of freedom of speech, failed to account for religious preferences, and denied their children's liberty interest to wear clothing of their choice in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment." In the end, the court ruled that "the school board's rule implementing a mandatory school uniform policy did not violate the First Amendment rights of the students."

<span style="color: #f787c9; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">"CANADY v. BOSSIER PARISH SCHOOL BOARD." FindLaw.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec 2012.

<span style="color: #f787c9; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">2. Blau v. Fort Thomas Public School District

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In this case, Robert Blau challenged Highlands Middle School, located in Kentucky, defending his daughter, Amanda Blau, against their dress code. He said that their dress code violates "(1) Amanda's First Amendment right to freedom of expression, (2) her substantive-due-process right to wear the clothes of her choosing and (3) Robert's substantive-due-process right to control the dress of his child. The court found no violation of any constitutional right.

<span style="color: #f787c9; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">"BLAU v. FORT THOMAS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT." FindLaw.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov 2012.

<span style="color: #f787c9; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">3. Castorina Rewt v. Madison County School Board

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In this case, Principal William Fultz of Madison County High School suspended two students named Timothy Castorina and Tiffany Dargavell twice for wearing t-shirts displaying the Confederate flag. The school's set dress code says that students are not allowed to wear any form of clothing that contains any "illegal, immoral, or racist implications." The court was not able to come to a conclusion on the case because the court was "unable to resolve the constitutionality of the school board's actions without knowing the manner in which the school board enforced the dress code and whether Madison County High School had actually experienced any racially based violence prior to the suspensions."

<span style="color: #f787c9; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">"CASTORINA REWT v. MADISON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD." FindLaw.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov 2012.

<span style="color: #f787c9; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">4. TINKER v. DES MOINES

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In this case, John and Mary Beth Tinker, and Christopher Eckhardt were suspended for wearing black armbands to school protesting the Vietnam War. The two lower courts came to the conclusion that the school district did not violate any constitutional rights, but the supreme court came to a 7-2 decision that the students had the right to wear the armbands to the school.

<span style="color: #f787c9; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">"Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969)." bc.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec 2012

Reflection:

I honesty don't think that clothes are that big of a deal. While doing research for this paper, I realized that people take clothing way out of proportion. They claim that clothes cause gang related issues and cause distractions which which is completely absurd. Clothing is definitely not a major problem when it comes to gangs and children are easily distracted by anything, not just clothing. While researching, I also learned a lot about the First Amendment. I did not have the knowledge that I do now of the parts of the First Amendment and what they actually mean. I also did not know how censored schools really try to be. Setting a dress code can be a way to censor students from the outside world by limiting what they can see. If you do not help students realize what the real world has to offer, the good and the bad, how can you expect students to be able to successfully function in a society that they have no knowledge about. This is really something to think about.

Works Cited:

"CANADY v. BOSSIER PARISH SCHOOL BOARD." FindLaw.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.

"CASTORINA REWT v. MADISON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD." Findlaw.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

Forster, Matt, and Denise B. Geier. "Point: The High Cost of School Uniforms." Point of View Reference Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

Holding, Reynolds. "Speaking Up for Themselves." Student Research Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

Key, Scott. "Cons of School Dress Code: Helping Students Dress for Success." Fresno Pacific University News. N.p., 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

"Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969)." bc.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.

Wilder, Larry. "Pros of School Dress Code: Helping Students Dress for Safety." Fresno Pacific University News. N.p., 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

Wilson, Brian, and Maureen McMahon. "Counterpoint: School Dress Codes Improve the Learning Environment." Point of View Reference Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.