A school bursting with personality and confidence triumphs a sea of identical uniforms and indistinguishable faces. Today, people are encouraged to be their true selves and express their diverse attributes more than ever before. Society thrives off of individuality and acceptance for one another. Whether it’s your religion, culture, opinions, or style, clothing is a canvas upon which students can express themselves.
Nationwide, schools are stifling students freedom of expression with dress codes. In some cases, this can be in violation of the First Amendment, which gives citizens the rights of freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
In a New York Times article, “10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know,” a trial entitled Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District covers this issue. In 1965, John and Mary Beth Tinker and their friend Chris Eckhardt wore black armbands to school in protest of the war in Vietnam. After refusing to remove them, per requested by school officials, they were suspended. The teen’s parents sued the school district claiming they were violating the First Amendment’s freedom of speech. After review, the Supreme Court sided with the students. The ruling stated that as long as an act of expression doesn’t interfere with school work or invade the rights of others, it’s acceptable. This was a massive step in the right direction. However, this rule is very open to interpretation. What is considered disruptive, and where is the line?
In 2018, an African American high school student, Deanna McLeod was told she could not attend her senior prom due to her natural hair, which was styled in an afro. Her hair style was deemed distracting, and was in violation of the school’s dress code. This sparked outrage among the community. Many people rallied together in support of McLeod. Hair is an important part of cultural identity, especially in the black community. As a result of the public protests, the school district was pressured to update its policies to allow diverse hair styles.
Triton Regional School District also has a dress code: students must wear a shirt, pants, and shoes, and have no undergarments showing (visible waist bands or straps allowed), and they’re prohibited from wearing anything with violent images, hate speech, pornography, or profanity. Triton passed this dress code because they didn’t want students to feel uncomfortable with the restrictions, and wanted them to be able to express themselves. This is the ideal policy because as long as outfits stay appropriate, kids are given the freedom they deserve. Arguably, lewd clothing is the only thing students would actually feel distracted by, as opposed to religious or protesting outfits.
When it comes to opinions, such as political views, school is not the ideal place to discuss them. For example, wearing a pro-Trump shirt could raise many arguments and judgements that would disrupt the school day. However, prohibiting things of this nature would violate student’s freedom of speech. They have the right to decide if they’re willing to be ridiculed for their views. Unless it gets to a physical point or bullying, schools should not have the ability to punish or restrict them.
