Is Your School's Dress Code Sexist?

Just after Labor Day, I noticed a spike in visits to a Uniform Mom post that featured longer skirts for girls that would pass the "fingertip test".  The fingertip test is a commonly used way to determine if the length of a skirt or shorts is too short.  If a girl extends her hands down to her sides and the skirt is past her fingertips, it passes.  If it is shorter than her fingertips, it is considered too short and therefore a uniform infraction at many schools.  Sometimes, administrators make efforts at the beginning of the school year to set the tone with consistent enforcement efforts. In some cases, the school conducts some sort of mass inspection that usually results in headlines in local newspapers and on local news channels. Girls that receive warnings that their skirts are too short may be offered a change of clothes from a inventory of donated second-hand uniforms.  Other times, they may be isolated until a parent can arrive with a change of clothes that complies with code.

I thought that increase in traffic was an indication that your daughters' might be getting caught up in enforcement efforts that left you searching to find retailers that carry skirts that are long enough to pass the fingertip test. I was relieved to learn that this wasn't the case. But....

Instead, I stumbled upon a conversation regarding "slut shaming" that referenced the post.  Stelman, a writer for Addicting Info, a popular liberal blog, wrote a post that summarized recent examples of uniform policies and enforcement efforts that he found to be sexist because they selectively applied to only girls.

This lead me to a video by Laci Green, a sex education activist with a popular channel, Sex + on YouTube.  In her video on Dess Code Sexism, Laci says that the use of school dress code guidelines are not the problem, but she presents top five reasons dress code double standards are sexist. She raises many interesting points that should cause school boards and school administrators to pause and reflect on their own policies and enforcement efforts.

So what do you think? Does your school have any policies that contain these dress code double standards? Have you seen sexism in enforcement efforts or in comments by teachers or administrators? Share your thoughts or observations in the comments below.

School Uniforms in the News - Back to School 2015 edition

Below are articles that feature school uniforms from all over the world! They are complied from my twitter stream. Follow me at @NavyPlaid to get updates on these types of headlines as they are published.

Features:

• The true value of school uniform CWB - Childrenswear Buyer Magazine: ow.ly/2buJfy
• Parents dig deep into pockets as kids head back to class ow.ly/2buvxL

Assistance Efforts:

• LISD receives over 20000 in school uniform donations - goo.gl/alerts/ENa4
• Jeezy Donates 1,000 Backpacks to Atlanta Elementary School Children - DJBooth -klou.tt/akpvieqkxoq7
• Christmas in July benefit helps local families in need - goo.gl/alerts/Dskh
• School supply drives planned around the Lowcountry (Charleston, SC)goo.gl/alerts/BjL1
• Back-to-school supply drives and and a giveaway happening this weekend - (Mobile, AL) goo.gl/alerts/AzwI
• Lyndhurst Health Department (NJ) collecting backpack and school uniform donations -goo.gl/alerts/lt3j

Enforcement Issues:

• Aguillard sets rule for uniform shorts length - goo.gl/alerts/wbLZ
• Students given timeouts at Wainuiomata High School (New Zealand) for incorrect shoes - goo.gl/alerts/HVFr

US School Boards Discuss School Uniforms:

• Volusia County School Board (FL) discusses school uniforms - goo.gl/alerts/cUYx
• Hillsborough schools will be stricter on dress codes - goo.gl/alerts/ZGL

(photo used with permission from Microsoft Press)

Snow Days and Make Up Days

Because of the unusually harsh winter, many schools had a record number of snow closing and days with delayed openings this year.  In states where laws mandate a minimum number of instructional days, most schools have contingency plans in place to deal with snow make up days.  But this year, many schools have exceeded those options and local school boards are scrambling to adjust the school calendars.  So how is your school planning to make up the days?  I'm hearing rumors of schools talking about different options, such as:

• Converting the remaining teacher work days to snow make up days
• Shortening Spring Break to use those days as snow makeup days
• Scheduling select Saturdays to hold make up days
• Extending the length of the school day for remaining days for a few additional minutes
• Extending the school year into the summer

Has your school board decided how to schedule additional snow make up days?  Which option are they choosing at your school?  What other options are being considered?  Which option do you prefer?

(photo used with permission from Microsoft)

Video Pick: A Global Perspective on School Uniforms

This video pick is from Euronews. It is a great piece highlighting use of school uniforms in different countries around the world.

Podcast on Student Standard Attire

The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) produced a podcast series called Today's Middle Level Educator.  One episode, published in October 2009, featured a conversation with Ernie Rambo, an educator in Las Vegas Nevada. The episode is titled "School Uniforms: Jeans or Jackets"?

The description reads:

"Ernie is a classroom teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has been directly involved with the implications of the Uniform issue.  Jack and Ernie examine the advantages and disadvantages of school uniforms and talk about questions the teachers might have regarding the uniform issue and how to address student concerns."

The podcast is just over 17 minutes but is worth the time if you are a school administrator or parent at a school considering implementing a student standard attire policy.

Video Pick: The case for a School Uniform Dress Code

This quality video by French Toast School Wear makes the case for a school uniform dress code and addresses criticism of restricting individuality.

Related Posts: 

French Toast Dollars in Uniform Fundraiser Program 

School Uniforms at French Toast - Retail Round Up Series

Why Non Uniform Days as Fundraisers are a Bad Idea

School Boards implement uniform dress codes for a variety of reasons. One of the most commonly cited reasons is nicely stated by the Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (SC) to "to reduce stereotyping based on apparel and build unity across social and economic lines". So I applaud Susan Gleaton, a trustee in that school district, for questioning why principles are allowed to declare dress down days that allow students to pay cash to be exempt from the school's uniform policy for the day as reported in the Times and Democrat. Via Twitter, I see evidence of these types of fundraisers used at schools in the US and the UK. I encourage other school boards to examine if this type of activity is occurring in their schools and decide if it is a practice consistent with the goals they set forth when implementing uniform dress code for the students.

These "fundraisers" teach kids that you can buy your way out of following the rules. It promotes a perceived benefit for those with the ability to pay. Aren't we trying to teach kids that socioeconomic status is irrelevant to ones ability to succeed in school, both academically and socially. If your child attends a school with a uniform policy or uniform dress code, you are likely well aware of the both sides of the uniform debate.

So instead of recounting that debate, lets take a look at what students themselves are saying about the specific issue of non uniform days: