One controversy plaguing the news lately, especially as prom season approaches, is dress code. All schools have dress codes. Through my grade school days, my school district’s dress code morphed through the grades. In elementary school, you were allowed to wear tank tops and shorts. In middle school, tank tops had to be three fingers width and shorts had to be as long as your finger tips. High school brought dictation of shoulders being covered, both for guys and girls. Quite often, boys would be told to “pull up their pants,” and girls with shorts that were too short would be told to go to the office and change.

I was only ever told to go to the office for dress code once. The male administrator told me they were too short, with no test or measurement. My female math teacher was baffled and perturbed that I was being pulled out of class to change.

Now, you may think that I am going to preach about how girls should be able to wear what they want without being told they are distracting, but I’m not. Within the general public, people may choose to wear whatever they please. However, in a school setting, where order must be kept, dress codes are necessary. Schools are challenged to keep a balance of structure and a safe learning environment. In order to maintain this balance, such rules must be in place, such as no profanity, no cell phones, and yes, a dress code. Failure to adhere to rules can cause disruption to the learning environment. Dress codes, just like other school rules, demand respect for the environment that the students are in. Just as you would not wear a bikini to a funeral or a formal gown to work in the garden, students should be expected to respect the learning environment.

Another similar issue at my high school recently pertained to the flying of the confederate flag on students’ vehicles during the school day. While many said that the flying of the flag is a first amendment right, the car is on school property and again, the flag could be disruptive to the learning environment. Just as the first amendment is slightly inhibited with restriction of profanity in language and references to alcohol and offensive content on clothing, so must it be inhibited with regards to other symbols seen as offensive. The school decided to not allow the flying of the flag on school property.

Again, the ultimate goal and expectation of the school is to create a welcoming, safe learning environment for everyone.