From pajamas to presentable wear, students are just getting used to the idea of dressing up to attend classes. With the previous establishment of online school, there was pretty much no dress code policy. There was no way to enforce it, and since there was a lack of video cameras to show what one was wearing, schools opted out of using the dress code for an entire online year. However, Clark Chargers are back in class and are suddenly under the scrutiny of the dress code again. Thereby, it is up to us students to communicate with others our sentiment towards the dress code. Now, what exactly is entailed in this dress code?

In a few points of summary, the main argued points of policy is as follows:

• All shorts, skirts, jumpers/dresses must be at fingertip length and/or no shorter than six inches above the knee
• Crop tops, strapless tops, low-cut clothing, clothing with slits, and outfits that provide minimum coverage are prohibited
• No spaghetti straps or tank tops
• All sleeveless shirts must have straps at least three inches wide and cover the shoulder
• Undergarments must not be visible
• Students are prohibited from wearing any headgear (hats, bandanas, bonnets, du-rags)
• Outerwear such as coats, mittens, and scarves must be removed upon entering the classroom/building

Students may be asking themselves, what exactly is the point of a dress code? While Chargers don’t have a uniform, student dress, personal appearance, and demeanor should not be able to disrupt or detract from the educational setting of the school. 

If your clothing choice happens to be against the policy, students will be supplied with an acceptable change of clothes within the Student Success Coordinator’s Office should it be needed. 

However, many students find that the dress code policy is more distracting than beneficial to a learning environment. 10th-grader, Gaon Kim, mandates that the headgear policy seems too strict because “[…] headgear isn’t very distracting if done practically and can help students feel more comfortable […] It also provides practical use during outside activities during late spring and early fall when the desert sun and temperature can be obscenely high.”

Another vice many students have claimed over the student dress code is its disparity in treatment between girls and boys. While girls have to adhere to strict policies regarding their shoulders, jeans, and dress length, it would seem that too many students, boys get off rather easily when it comes to attire such as tank tops. Additionally, girls are actively sought out and reprimanded in the hallway for their midriff exposure. 

From this discussion comes the reevaluation of the question, does the dress code policy still need to exist? After all, as mentioned earlier, the point is to prevent a distracting learning experience. This raises more questions on whether all the rules of the dress code actually apply to those who would detract from the learning experience. An 11th-grade student says,“[…] a lot of the time I wouldn’t even care to pay attention to this sort of thing, you know? It feels like the more emphasized this rule is the more distracting these things become in the first place, so if they just got rid of it or stopped purposely looking for these violations I doubt anyone’s experience would suffer.”

Students are not too keen on the new dress code policy that’s being implemented throughout. It’s acclaimed as an unfair policy that targets females more than males, and the present may not always be too big of an issue in the first place. It’s important that everyone receives an enriching classroom environment, but at the same time, it’s crucial that we ask ourselves what group these policies are made to benefit. What are your thoughts on following the Charger Dress Code Policy?