Dress Codes are often debated in schools especially high school.
In the case of New Trier, our dress code, while more lenient and open to interpretation than that of other schools, still works towards the purpose of preparing young adults for life beyond high school.
The question that remains, however, is whether the installment of a dress code infringes too much on the rights of the student body, or if it is for the betterment of the learning environment.
The dress code, as stated by the 2014-2015 Guidebook, bars any “modes of dress or appearance that are clearly disruptive and disturbing to the progress of the educational environment,” along with clothing pertaining to drugs, alcohol, or gang symbols.
There are some issues with this present dress code at New Trier, namely the vagueness of some parts of it.
“A student could go into their first period class and the teacher has a different threshold for what is disruptive than maybe the seventh period teacher does, and that’s confusing for students,” said Scott Williams, the Assistant Principal for Administrative Services.
Dress codes are devised in schools for a variety of reasons. Some can be for student safety or comfort, as in the case of the dress code’s ban against drug, alcohol, or gang related messages, while others help create the learning environment.
“To help give some structure to what’s appropriate to wear at school we just want to make sure the policy is there. So that people know what the expectation is so that they can follow it,” said Sophomore Girls Adviser Chair Susie Paunan.
If students at New Trier feel that the dress code is unfair or too restrictive, students need to realize that New Trier has a very lenient dress code compared to other schools, which ban much more specific articles of clothing or styles.
“We haven’t had a student-related behavioral issue that’s lead to us having a more strict and restrictive dress code,” said Williams. For instance New Trier Township does not struggle with gang violence, and this allows for less dress code regulations. One particular argument against dress codes in high schools is that they can restrict the freedom of expression. The important thing here is that the intention of a policy like this is not to restrict a student’s ability to create their own personal image or to express themself, but to both foster a beneficial learning environment and prepare students for a life past high school.
“It’s about preparing you for the future. If I showed up for school in something that is not appropriate for the workplace, that’s going to put me in a bad place,” said Williams.
“I think it’s important to have a clear policy, so that our learning environment can be safe for all students,” said Paunan. The dress code is not put in place to restrict student rights, but to help them as they grow and learn.
Although it may restrict some parts of their lifestyle, it does so with the best interest of the students in mind.
“It’s about teaching,” said Williams, “I don’t look at it as a restrictive policy in the sense that I’m trying to take away your rights. I look at it as a policy that helps establish right habits of mind.”