School Dress Codes: Proposed Changes At California High School Lead To Debate

A California high school has proposed a controversial new dress code which, if approved, would prohibit students from sporting "distracting" hair (such as mohawks), facial piercings, and ripped clothing in class and on campus.

Many of the students of Tulare Joint Union High School -- where the proposed dress code may soon go into effect -- are up in arms over the proposal, arguing that these restrictions would prohibit students too much from expressing their individuality. Junior Jeremiah Calles says: "There's no way I am conforming to this at all... If I am here, I am still wearing my piercings."

What do you think -- is the proposed dress code too harsh, or should students save the wild hair and piercings for when school's out? Sound off in the comments.

Quick Poll

Should School Dress Codes Extend To Hairstyles And Piercings?

Yes. Mohawks and heavy facial piercings are distracting -- save it for after school.

No way -- self-presentation is an important means of expressing individuality. Bold hairstyles and piercings aren't distracting the way that revealing clothing is.

Don't know, don't care.

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[Kritikos]

04:11 PM on 11/27/2011

Yes.

[neekehurley1]

02:41 PM on 11/25/2011

unless you are at a school of arts. distracting appearances should be subdued. there are other ways to showcase your wonderful uniqueness and style.

[Luke Harrington]

12:35 PM on 11/25/2011

Why do people get so uptight, WHO CARES if you see someone with a different style than yours? it makes it no better/worse than what you do with your body. First of all, in school, there are worse things to deal with in terms of dress code violations than a different way of doing hair or piercings. Are they hurting you in any way by simply existing? Just because you don't do it, doesn't make it bad or inferior to you, it's just different. And another thing, those of us who do do things with our hair that for some reason make you uncomfortable, are much smarter than you give us credit for. Many of us realize it can be hard to get a job looking like that, that's the chance we take and we're responsible for it. I asked my employer if I could dye my hair a dark, non-natural shade of red before going through with it, they were fine. People need to grow up and deal with these petty differences, I may prefer to wear Osiris sneakers, or an alternative band t-shirt, with my hair standing up, dyed some other color, instead of slacks and a polo with a crew cut, but am I going to shame and belittle everyone who prefers something different? NO, because it's not my business! Maybe if you got over your insecurities and actually talked to us you'd realize we're not that different from you where it counts.

[frsi]

06:09 PM on 11/27/2011

It's not that people are uptight. I live in San Francisco where everyone is very, very expressive with their looks and I love the openness of progressive cities like this. But, school is not the same as expressing yourself on Saturday night. School is about ediucation, focusing on learning, grasping complex ideas in science, math, history and languages. High school should be and is hard intellectual work. It's not the place for a fashion show and for distracting others who are there to learn and want and need to focus on their intellectual development. I hope you can express yourself just as you wish - but, at the right time and in the right place. An educational institution, where you get a free education courtesy of the taxpayers, is just not the right place. Save it for a club or a night out and have fun. In the meantime, bear down on the books, don't distrub the focus of others, and get educated - it'll pay off later.

[warmandfuzzy]

09:05 AM on 11/25/2011

Yes. Unless you want to be a circus performer.

This crap is nothing but a distraction.

I don't blame the schools on this mattter. I blame idiot parents who allow it.

[Larsami1]

03:05 AM on 11/25/2011

Well do we ban it or let 'em wear it how they want? I agree to let them express their individualities to an extent, but I would wonder if this is a wise option. I suppose if they can shed these styles without issues, then it might be ok. For instance, if they are set on wearing these hair styles while job hunting, what are their chances of landing one? And if they should land one, could they conform to occupational rules without issues because they are used to having it their way? I suppose each parent could examine the effects of such styles for present and future issues and the student should foresee if it could cause unneeded bullying. My daughter doesn't see the need to express herself with these styles, so I haven't given it much thought.

[Cassandra Velasco]

01:19 AM on 11/24/2011

Somebody ought to tell these kids that when skin is tattooed, the sweat glands in it can no longer eliminate toxins from the body. This can make quite a difference if the person sporting tattoos suddenly faces kidney disease later in life.. But kids think they are indestructible, and the thought of kidney disease just doesn't enter their heads! Tattoos are easy to get, but costly and painful to get rid of. A school dress code would just encourage youngsters to get this indelible "artwork" all over themselves. It really is an unfortunate fad, and I hope it goes away soon. As for wearing their hair stiffened to stand up like a window cleaning brush, what parents would let a son or daughter out of the house like that? And would YOU hire anybody who looks like that? EEEEK!

[iLdoRight]

08:48 PM on 11/23/2011

Absolutely there should be reasonable parameters for dress and conduct codes ! The cost of educating children is way too much of an expense to the taxpayers and the cost of under educated youths on society is way too much of a burden on society to let anyone, student, teacher, administrator distract anyone from their job of learning or teaching. It would be my guess that the cost per student per day, when all cost involved in education children in the public schools is tallied it would be at least $300 a day. One hour of distraction to only one person is a real waste that should not be tolerated ! Missing one point in some classes can make many other learning steps very difficult to grasp. It has been shown that where a person sits, front row or back row, can make a huge difference in how much of what is being taught that they can grasp and adjustments should be made so that all have an equal chance to learn everything that is being taught. Students Get Your Money's Worth EVERY DAY ! Someday you will be paying the education expense.

[empress trudy]

08:14 PM on 11/23/2011

No I would not ban it. But I would periodically take them all around to employers to get a read on their reactions. If their potential local employers don't mind, that's great. If they get laughed out of the office, I suppose we can all pout and scream that life is unfair but at least they'll have forewarning that life indeed IS unfair.

[Cheyla]

06:58 PM on 11/23/2011

Okay, I can't answer the poll because I don't agree that revealing clothing is distracting. You look, you see, you get over it for hair, piercings, butt cracks, whatever. No wonder our education is a mess - we are worried about how people look instead of how they think!

[Fran Jaime]

08:51 PM on 11/23/2011

That's true! In my experience as a teacher, if a student's attire distracts everyone for more than a few minutes, you are doing something wrong. Not only that but this is the moment for kids to express themselves through their clothes and it's a very good way to teach respect for diversity.

[Jeanne Hart]

06:33 PM on 11/23/2011

This is dumb. I've always thought school dress codes were dumb. It's not "distracting," these people just don't like it and/or are uncomfortable. Fashion is a creative outlet. Schools are already taking away music and other arts programs. Let these kids express themselves, dammit!

I was a high school student who had purple and red streaks in her hair; later a full color pink bob, a blue bob with black streaks, blood red w/ black streaks, etc. I sometimes wore black/purple/blue vinyl or plaid, bondage pants to school. I was also an honor student, a band nerd, president of our theater group, Junior prom queen, and well-liked by 99% of the students and faculty all four years. I turned into a pretty successful adult who is working in her dream field...

I guess what I'm getting at is that it would behoove these people to avoid making a sweeping policy change when the "distraction" could be a few problem individuals. I'm sure students at this school would be better served if their administration would address the core issue and not put this ridiculous band-aid over it.

[BlondeInBlack]

06:29 PM on 11/23/2011

My daughter's public high school has rules like this already in place. The kids are only allowed to dye their hair natural colors- natural shades of brunette, blond or red. The artsy kids go nuts in the summer with their crazy rainbow hair colors then tone it down during the school year. It's not a huge deal. One of my teen's friends looks like Raggedy Ann every summer then during the school year goes auburn or brown haired. It's an academically competitive school where the kids focus on learning to get into college.

[Calliopenjo]

06:19 PM on 11/23/2011

School is there to further your education. Save the self expression for after school. There maybe more of an opportunity to do so at home.

[Calliopenjo]

06:15 PM on 11/23/2011

You go to school to further your education. There is always a chance at home to express your individuality.

[random bear]

03:23 PM on 11/23/2011

When I worked at a bank, my first office had this crappy fluorescent lighting that gave me a headache. Naturally, after discovering there was no switch to turn off source of my headache, I responded by bringing in a lamp with incandescent light and unscrewing the tubes from their fixture so electricity no long flowed.

This caused great excitement -- that someone would dare modify their environment from the prescribed standard -- and brought people from +/- 5 floors to wander by and gawk at the environmental change. Taken to its logical conclusion, for example, a teenage girl deciding not to wear makeup for the day would be grounds for expulsion as it was determined to be "distracting" for there to be a poor choices of make-up for the day.

So... remind me again how preventing "distractions" is a good thing? When person A has a problem with the fashion choices of person B, the problem is with A.

[Jeanne Hart]

06:19 PM on 11/23/2011

You rule. I get the same reactions from people in my office for choosing to have lamp light rather than the overhead fluorescents (they hurt my eyes and make me irritable). I'm a million times more productive with *my* lighting. The problem is definitely with person A.

[Jacob Rob Garcia]

01:21 PM on 11/23/2011

As someone who dyes his hair rather often, I feel it is an infringement upon self expression to make different hair styles, piercings, or fashion choices against the dress code. I myself am not allowed to dye my hair at the moment because of a number of shows I am in, and I personally feel like my individuality is dampened by that respect. Each person should be able to look the way they want.

[devinegirls3]

01:30 AM on 11/26/2011

I feel so badly......lol