Supreme Court Rules Dress Codes Unconstitutional

JULIANNA TAPIA (Editor in Chief)

Recently, there has been controversy surrounding school dress codes. Many schools have begun lifting the rules that some critics have deemed out of date and sexist toward students.

According to the New York Times, a recent Supreme court ruling in North Carolina found that the dress code was unconstitutional and violated students’ 14th Amendment right to liberty and property without due process of law.

The North Carolina school’s dress code stated that girls must wear skirts and that those skirts must be a certain length. The court’s ruling says that the dress code was based upon gender discrimination and stereotypes, which has no place in a school setting. According to the New York Times, the dress code violated Title IX of the Department of Education code, which specifies that there shall be no gender discrimination in school.

The school eventually changed its dress code and did not require students to wear the uniform. This allowed students more choice in how they dress.

“Girls and guys should be able to wear whatever they want,” senior Brianna Gonzalez said. “If a guy can wear a tank top, a girl should also be able to wear it.”

This school was not the only school to change its dress codes to be more inclusive and less discriminatory. Schools all over California have been changing their dress code. Students and parents in Alameda told the Seattle Times that calling a girl’s clothing a distraction is not the girl’s problem.

Although there are many supporters of these changes, some teachers from these schools have said that they promote the wrong idea. Marie Hsu, a teacher in Alameda, told the Seattle Times that it is not appropriate to sex up schools and that it sends the wrong message to students. Others agree that the dress codes were fine before the changes.

“I wouldn’t mind changes in dress codes because what I wear doesn’t violate it at all,” freshman Diego Leon said.

Students from Alameda also argue that changes to dress codes can help to lessen the focus on certain groups of students who seem to be more targeted than others.

Students and administrators from schools all over the country have begun to realize that changes to current dress codes may be necessary.