What message is the dress code at Weir High teaching students? Is it teaching young girls that their bodies should be hidden? Is it supposed to make them feel as if they can’t be comfortable and express themselves? These are the concerns students are expressing.

“When you break the dress code, and principals point it out boys are always like ‘that’s a dress code!’ They just do it to make you uncomfortable then go back to goofing around with their friends.”

It feels like our bodies are policed by administration. We do not have the freedom to wear what we want due to the fear it may “interfere with the educational process of the school,” as stated in the agenda. But how so? Are lessons often disrupted by a shoulder or a midriff? Are students struggling to maintain their focus because of tank tops and shorts?

When discussing why the dress code is in place, assistant principal Pellegrino stated, “That’s so it doesn’t disrupt the education of our school.”

But again, we ask, how is our body disrupting someone else’s education?

When asked in a poll if breaking the dress code was a distraction to them, only two of 318 students replied that it was.

One male freshman It does because it’s too much skin that’s being shown. It freaks me out.”

One female freshman, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “Yes, it distracts me because it just makes me uncomfortable to see somethings that I wouldn’t want to see.”

The other 316 respondents, however, disagree.

Taylor Haught, a senior, said, “No. Unless the outfit is completely obscene and shows private areas (or close to there) it is not distracting.”

“Not really you have to be really bored out of your mind to get distracted by someone’s dressing,” senior Nick Truax stated.

As students, our education is disrupted when we are called out in front of fellow students because of our clothing choices. Not to mention the class time it takes away to change, be sent to an internal room, or sent home because of our body, rather than attending class.

As indicated in the agenda, “A student who is not dressed in an acceptable manner may be directed to modify his/her dress and grooming or will be requested to obtain proper clothing before returning to class. This student will be sent to the internal suspension room until correct clothing is obtained. Students who fail to comply with the proceeding shall be sent home until the situation is correct.”

The most common form of punishment, however, is humiliation. This is the most distracting of all. Is it beneficial to a student’s education to call them out in front of peers, or will it further “interfere with the educational process?”

After discussing the matter with assistant principal Kelly Lawton, she said she is willing to listen.

“If you guys are willing to get a group together to discuss these things, I will be very willing to listen. That’s actually one of my goals. You know to fix our handbooks, get it up-to-date. There’s a lot of things that are outdated. Our handbook needs to be fixed. The administration is really open to your opinions cause, like I said this is your school.”

By forming a group of students who want a change at Weir High, we can make a difference.

Most students and teachers are not distracted, so what is disrupting our school education? Students should be allowed to express their opinion on whether the dress code is distracting or not. Now that we have the chance to make a change let’s do it.