In light of a recent event at a Florida high school where a student was forced to wear a “shame suit” after violating the dress code, it is imperative to discuss the immorality of school administrations shaming their students into obeying the rules.
On the third day of classes at Oakleaf High School, a teacher in the hall told Miranda Larkin that her dress was too short. After being sent to the nurse’s office, Larkin was told to put on the “dress-code-violation outfit,” which consists of a giant baggy t-shirt with the words “DRESS CODE VIOLATOR” written in all caps across the front and huge sweat pants with the same phrase written on the side.
Now, this is an extreme example, but still something that goes on everyday in schools across the country. Teachers and administrators send students, usually young women, to the office for dress code violations all the time, and often they are given the choice of wearing something from the school, like a giant shirt that wouldn’t even fit Chewbacca, or some ratty, old thing from the lost and found, or taking an in-school suspension or detention. Sometimes students are allowed to arrange for parents to bring them a change of clothes, but that is often very difficult if both parents have full-time jobs.
So basically, these students are left with two choices: Take the school's nasty clothes and be embarrassed all day — because everyone will know you violated the dress code — or receive a punishment that could go on your record. Naturally, some students will be pressured into enduring the embarrassment.
Students in high school don’t need to be pressured or harassed any more than they are on a daily basis, and they definitely don’t need to deal with that from their administration. Students know if a peer has violated the dress code because the borrowed clothes are usually oversized or grungy. This allows them to easily point out, and make fun of, those who break the rule. In Larkin's case, she broke out in hives due to this embarrassment. Is this what schools consider a proactive punishment? Students who are made fun of will sometimes do anything it takes to be “cool;” they are peer pressured much more easily. Isn’t this something schools should be trying to prevent? But still, society mandates that dress codes are necessary, so what is one potential way to fix the problem?
Don’t give the students a choice between punishments.
Instead of forcing students to choose between social embarrassment and a demerit in their school records, give them no option. Give them the suspension or detention. Send them home and mark them absent for the day, if they choose not to obey. Just don’t give the whole school a reason to gossip and make fun of a student. A punishment with the goal of shaming students cannot be accepted. Let’s have academic institutions deal with this problem in the form of an academic punishment.
Reach the columnist at William.Ruof@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @willruof
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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