BLACKFORD COUNTY, INDIANA
When most of us, Bruins, think of fashion it’s typically nothing more than a pair of blue jeans, and a hooded sweatshirt advertising our favorite tunes to listen to, or a college that we plan on going to once we graduate. So, what happens when the students exceed past these social norms, and soon begin to be on the rise of wearing more controversial pieces of clothing that announces their true, genuine demeanor among the students? They are disciplined if their action is considered an offense in the Bruin Handbook’s rules, of course.
Each student at the start of the Blackford Jr. Sr. High School year receives a handbook no thicker than an average magazine that lists the rules that must be followed if you’re going to remain taught by the school, and a planner for the school year. Regarding the dress code, the handbook states;
DRESS CODE
The school board considers the appearance of students relating to dress and grooming as an important factor for maintaining an effective and desirable environment for learning. Corrective action will be taken when a student’s dress or grooming creates a problem related to (1) a disruption of the school program, (2) cleanliness, (3) a safety hazard, or (4) indecency.
1. Hats, head coverings, hoods, beanies, bandanas or sunglasses may NOT be worn in the building.
2. All tank tops (male and female) must be two finger widths wide. Tops that do not meet this requirement must be worn with a sleeved shirt. The midriff must be covered at all times. Muscle shirts with low necks and sagging armholes are not appropriate.
3. Shirts with low necklines are not allowed. Cleavage should not be visible.
4. Shorts, skirts, and holes in jeans must be at least mid-thigh.
5. No “sagging” of pants. Pants are to be worn at or above the hips. Long shirts over sagging pants do not meet this requirement.
6. No clothing or accessories that promotes Satanism, gang affiliation, racism, inappropriate language (including dual-meaning or suggestive language), alcohol, drugs, sex, or tobacco products.
7. No loungewear, pajamas, or slippers.
So, what’s the big you deal you might be wondering? Complaints across the nation have risen as a response to these rules, and the large majority believe this targets the right for a woman to express herself in a teaching environment in order for males to not become distracted. This has led to it being taken to social media using hashtags such as #iamnotadistraction, and this has been proven to be a hot topic for a while.
AUGUST 31TH, 2016 on Wednesday morning, a dozen Urbana Middle School students entered the school wearing oversized, yellow T-shirts that read in marker: “I am more than just a distraction.”
They were among students in two Frederick County Public Schools who claim their respective schools’ dress codes unfairly target girls, and promote a culture of shaming them.
This isn’t all, Mattawoman Middle School in Waldorf, Md. faced backlash after a mother, Banks, had to bring her eleven year old daughter a pair of jeans after the school administration deemed her leggings as breaking the school’s rules.
Banks, the girl in question’s mother, is now challenging the dress code, which she views as unfairly targeting girls. She and other parents of our nation have taken the issue to administrators, the school board, and to the federal officials filing a civil rights complaint alleging gender bias.
As a sophomore of Blackford Jr. Sr. High School, I noticed an increase within my fellow students experimenting with their style of clothing and began to wear controversial pieces of clothing themselves.
“I have noticed more cut up jeans at the mid-thigh area, but I am not sure if they got “in trouble”..” as said by a teacher from this school who shall remain anonymous out of respect throughout this article, and I couldn’t agree more.
I have seen plenty of my fellow female students wear jeans that have holes scattered throughout the front, which are able to get too close to the school’s administration comfort as said from the Bruin Handbook’s rules;
4. Shorts, skirts, and holes in jeans must be at least mid-thigh.
For the sake of this article I, the writer, was struck by a curiosity for this topic, and I began to wonder if this matter would only worsen if the rules were not followed by the teachers or other workers of Blackford Jr. Sr. High School.
I asked the same anonymous teacher as previously quoted if they felt that this would be the case, and in the same sentence they stated they have noticed more cut up jeans at the mid-thigh area they said, “I am a firm believer that situations will always get worse if there are no consequences and violation of dress code is no exception.”
During my walk to a class of mine I couldn’t help, but to notice all of my fellow classmates’ styles of clothing. I, the author of this article, may not stick out among the hallway of students as I wear a pair of blue jeans, white Fila shoes, and a Life is Good long-sleeve T-shirt.
There were students wearing clothing as simple as mine; T-shirts with positive phrases written across the chest, a pair of blue jeans, and white shoes such as Nike Air Jordan 1. Some of my fellow students wore Crocs or checkerboard Vans that easily slip on.
Though, this didn’t catch my attention. As I walked through the hallways, I couldn’t help but to notice the students with the bright, unnatural hair colors; they typically wore ripped up, black jeans. I even noticed students who wore incredibly inappropriate pieces of clothing such as a cartoon drawing of a mushroom, which had the saying “Acid Trip” written across the bottom of the T-shirt.
Did this student get caught? No; I noticed them wearing the same T-shirt a couple of days later in the hallway, and seemingly at ease with what they choose to wear. On the same exact day, I noticed an anonymous person got in trouble due to their piece of clothing, which was showing too much skin based on the rules from earlier.
Are schools across the nation having rules revolving around our clothing target a woman's right to express herself, or is it simply students unable to follow the rules? Truly reflect on yourself, and come to the conclusion if your rights as a human being are being targeted, or if it’s simply those who are unable to follow rules.