Schools need to enforce dress code

By Judy Ducayne

Thursday, February 8, 2007 9:29 AM EST

How far does something have to go wrong before we speak up for what's right?
Teachers, both men and women, have complained to me about how female students are allowed to dress (or undress) in school and at school functions.

I've also heard the same complaint from librarians, nurses, parents, grandparents - all who are concerned about this growing problem that is quickly getting out of control.

Auburn High School, as an example, has created a student dress code that states, among other things, “Students are expected to dress appropriately for school and school functions.” They should “develop an understanding of appropriate appearance in the school setting.” It goes on to state that “extremely brief garments are not appropriate (No bare midriffs).”

Sounds good on paper, but have you seen how the girls dress for school? Midriffs galore. By doing nothing administrators are saying that it's OK to ignore the rules. Somebody is dropping the ball.

And how the girls are dressing for class is also a problem. If you need validation about this, just ask the teachers in private, but nobody will speak up publicly for fear of public humiliation. Teachers are afraid of the backlash from parents, students and administrators, and being accused of sexual harassment.

If you're going to put a rule down on paper, you better be prepared to monitor compliance and back it up with consequences for violators. Otherwise what message are we sending the kids?

But this is just another symptom of parents and teachers pushing off their responsibilities. We can't blame the children. They're doing what students have always done - taking things as far as they can until they get some pushback from those in charge. These students need our direction and supervision.

The morality of a nation begins in the local community. The parents and the school district need to work together to begin enforcing an extremely reasonable dress code. How we look plays a major role in determining how we think of ourselves and how we act. You can dress modestly while still being very stylish.

The school has taken a huge step by issuing the dress code. Now it's time for the parents to back them up by doing their part. Monitor your children's behavior and make sure they're dressed right for school and school functions. We must work together to give our young people the sense of dignity and morality they deserve and keep the classroom solely for academics.

Ducayne's column runs Tuesdays in The Citizen and

she can be reached at

sacredheart6005@hotmail.com

The Citizens' Say

Post your comment - click here

There are 29 comment(s)

Leon Kapowski wrote on Feb 13, 2007 8:28 AM:

" Focus on meaningful issues... nobody thinks teens are inherently evil, and will suddenly do a 180 once they're out of the house and start paying taxes. Teens need structure and rules, and parents are supposed to instill values into their children so they become productive members of society once they leave home, and not drains on society. It's a matter of once they're out of the house and on their own, they're free to dress any way they see fit, but until then, they need to do as they're told. 15 year olds dressing like they're 30 year olds IS a problem that needs to be addressed, it's a small part of the larger picture of what's wrong with our educational system today. I also don't think MTV is intentionally causing harm, they're just out for what most entertainment companies are out for... $$$. It's the responsibility of the parents to teach their kids that it's just entertainment, not real life. "

focus on meaningful issues. wrote on Feb 12, 2007 5:41 PM:

" I definatly would like to give "Conservative Myopia and the Children" a big round of applause. The issues that really matter are being looked over intensely. The education the children are getting is most important thing to do with school. And to the person who wrote: "But I refuse to believe that children and teenagers are essentially bad or evil and miraculously become good and holy once they are old enough to move out, pay taxes and can no longer fit in sexy clothes, or that MTV is some sort of force that came out to cause harm" You definatly have a level head on your shoulders. People have this conception of teenagers as "Evil entities" or something. Paying taxes and being over the age of 25 doesn't make you an upstanding citizen. Focus on the important issues at hand. Our children's education. "

How Many Girls REALLY? wrote on Feb 12, 2007 5:15 PM:

" I have a sneaking suspicion that there aren't THAT many girls wearing belly-bearing clothing. First of all, it's really cold outside. Second, because in every class, in every era with whatever styles are in or out, there's always some girls who push the limits and give the Judy Ducaynes of the world something to do with their time. I went to high school in the 90's and I remember everyone up in arms over kids dying their hair unnatural colors and wearing black clothes. And really, that was only a few kids in each class, but it was a big deal! You make it sound like these girls are going dressed as belly dancers or something but a little bit of midsection skin isn't going to make strippers out of teenagers anymore than blue hair and band t-shirts made satan worshipping junkies out of my classmates. I can't wait to read Judy's column tomorrow about all the high school whale-tails she can't stand to have to stare at! "

Unknown wrote on Feb 12, 2007 4:48 PM:

" Mr. Reality...if you think that good, moralistic family values are a product of the 50's, then you got you head way up where it doesn't belong. Take a look at MTV some night and tell me you you think that none of that is influencing kids today. Tell me that the liberalistic ways of thinking today have helped those in charge turn a blind eye to the problems in schools today. Kids that think they can bring weapons to school?? Sure, it's all a product of how our society has run amok. And people like you with the "who cares" attitude are just fueling the fire. No, I'm not Judy Ducayne, but I am someoone that was raised in a good home, and had good values instilled into my character when I was young, and was able to make good decisions in my life, and not be remembered as someone that made myself a spectacle of myself. You, on the other hand, have a long way to go before you really know what is tearing down our society. And if you are raising you kids with those beliefs, then you better re-think your stand before you lose control of them. "

Leon Kapowski wrote on Feb 12, 2007 4:10 PM:

" Well, if you want to let your 15 year old daughters wear micro-mini skirts and tops that reveal most of their chests, go right ahead. God forbid anyone practice any restraint or set rules when it comes to their kids. That manner of dress is a symptom of what is wrong in our schools that kids are not doing as well as they are in other countries. If you can't see that, you don't have your eyes open wide enough. People are so scared of disciplining their kids nowadays, of telling them no every once in a while. I don't want my 15 year old daughter dressing like a stripper, sorry folks. You let your kids dress like that if you want if you think it's so harmless, but I want my kids to have self-esteem because of who they are and what they can accomplish, not because of what they look like half-dressed. "

Adding onto Lee's Contribution wrote on Feb 12, 2007 3:51 PM:

" I think Ducayne should donate the pearls she's clutching to the school so that they can hire a style consultant to come and speak to the girls at Auburn High. It makes as much sense as writing a column about half shirts. She can also donate the soapbox she's standing on so that it's easier for the tailor to take measurements of the girls for their new Auburn High School Ducayne-Approved Carmelite Habits. "

Lee wrote on Feb 12, 2007 2:29 PM:

" This whole issue has been blown all out of proportion. Why is something as frivilous as a dress code even being addressed when there are more important and pressing issues which should be discussed? While you are getting all worked up over belly buttons, our high school students are testing lower than those of almost every European and Asian nation in their understanding of science and math. The moral problems caused by today's fashion are miniscule in comparision to those presented by the current downward trend in the level and quality of our children's educations. Besides, the current fashions of our youth aren't as blatantly sexually oriented as many people seem to percieve them. I think, that most of the individuals who are so terribly concerned with this issue need only remember the days when it was considered immoral and inappropriate for teenage girls to wear a skirt that was cut just above the knee (the idea of a mini-skirt would have made some people cry out in horror). By many of todays standards this is now deemed conservative dress. It is just an example of an evolving society, it's fashions and it's standards and the attempts of some to force it into a conservative stagnancy. "

Ah, but what is reality? wrote on Feb 12, 2007 1:56 PM:

" The nuclear American family you write of is also a very recent phenomenon, reified in the 1950's. Family values vary all over the world as much as family structures do. But thanks for the typical social conservative ctrl+c, ctrl+v on that one. But I refuse to believe that children and teenagers are essentially bad or evil and miraculously become good and holy once they are old enough to move out, pay taxes and can no longer fit in sexy clothes, or that MTV is some sort of force that came out to cause harm, and is not simply a result of youth culture. Besides, blaming MTV is rather passe in 2007, don't you think? The problem with your argument is that you have nothing to back it up with except for anecdotal and nostalgic yarns. You can't prove MTV or exposed navels have anything to do with the elusive "moral decline." So, with that said, are you in fact Judy Ducayne? Historically, teenagers for years have had sex, been sexually demonstrative and have dressed sexy, even in America...just not in white middle class suburban America (and not in full view of adults), which is itself about as old as the idealized American nuclear family, roughly what? 50 years. World history goes back thousands of years before that and is not a construct of American modern liberalism. You can scream "values! values!" all you want until you choke but the world will keep turning and moving on as it always did, and since teenagers are biologically sexual beings, they will continue to want to excercise that new found part of their existence. Any given culture's values do not change the biology of the people in that given culture even if it does prolong childhood to the age of 18. But the question remains: outside of all this huffing and puffing over family ideology and the media and a belief in a universal code of right and wrong, etc, why a column dedicated to female teenage midriffs? Why not cleavage, push-up bras, mini skirts, tight pants, low riding pants, stilettos, leather, etc? Probably because we're all used to these things now, and since older women are wearing them they are no longer useful in celebrating the youthfulness of the body of the wearer. Thus, the clothing is no longer risque. "

Unknown... wrote on Feb 12, 2007 12:16 PM:

" Conservative Myopia and the Children - your concept of what is appropriate in school is scary. Your type of liberal thinking is the same kind of rubbish that has been tearing away the fabric of the family circle and what the difference is between right & wrong. Kids need to have guidelines, and will try to get away with whatever they can, and are being urged but outside influences like MTV and the like to dress like a typical street person with no direction or morals. Try to get a grip on what is reality!! "

Conservative Myopia and the Children wrote on Feb 12, 2007 11:18 AM:

" Is someone really paying this woman to write? Is the Citizen THAT hard up to fill up space in the paper? When have teenage girls not been sexual beings? Are they really children, like 3rd graders? Historically, adolescence is a recently new phenomenon; puberty was the milestone reached for adulthood to begin. Thus, they would have sex, marry, have families and jobs and responsibilities like adults in their 20's, 30's and beyond. Our culture's wealth has allowed us to prolong childhood, keep teenagers dependent, and create adolescence. Unfortunately, mostly for the teens, there is no biological distinction of adolescence and therefore they are still sexually adults. You can't protect a biological adult from their own sexuality though you can become so obsessed with them not having sex that you create neurotic over-emphasis on sexuality (hello, Falwell!). Provocative clothes are just a symptom of the raging hormones they deal with on a daily basis, nevermind all the social issues and constant bombardment of rules and unwanted advice from scores of old people that would keep them from concentrating 100% on their schoolwork. And is the bare stomach of a fit teenager THAT sexually distracting to you, Judy? I haven't read about something specifically more sexual here, like cleavage or low-riding pants. Or, as other commentators have put it, anything at all about the way teenage males dress. I wonder if the emphasis in particular on midriffs from the middle-aged tends to be because, while middle-aged women can have ample rears and cleavage, it's much tougher for them to maintain the flat, toned and unstretched stomach required for a half-shirt. (And, obviously, there aren't many girls from traditional Indian homes going to Auburn High or else this midriff thing and conservative dress wouldn't be an issue.) If you don't want girls to wear half-shirts to school, I think fuddy-duddies like Judy should do some sit-ups and start wearing midriff baring shirts to make them no longer cool to wear. True, the lowest common denominator of this argument would be to simply chalk it up to jealousy, but honestly - what else could incense someone so much to write a column about the horrors of female teenaged belly buttons in the hallways, and basically nothing else? "

wonder twin wrote on Feb 11, 2007 8:05 PM:

" if kids are dressed in a manner not becoming , send them home. Period. I also want the young men to pull up their pants please!! Stop being so sexist ,Judy. "

auburn wrote on Feb 11, 2007 6:18 PM:

" Pick on the kids..Lots start with the teachers first. You had one monster burn a kid. The school stood behind this piece a BLANK to the end. So we have one angry kid and a teacher who could care less. worring about how the kids dress should be last thing on our minds as long as our kids our in danger. "

DD wrote on Feb 10, 2007 7:57 AM:

" Just the other day, I yelled at my plumber, and sent him home for dressing in a manner that was showing a certain part of the anatomy. I was upset, and couldn't understand why his wife would let hime out of the house like that. I think all plumbers should have to wear overalls! "

What is wrong with our society these days wrote on Feb 9, 2007 8:13 PM:

" Ya know, when I went to AHS I wouldn't have been caught dead dressing like these teens do now. I am graduating from college this semester, and at one point I was kicked out of class and sent home because the pin stripe suit I was wearing was unbuttoned one button too far. Let me tell ya, I never did that again! Maybe these teachers, councelors, principals and whoever else should take initiative and discipline these teens if there is such a "problem that everyone is telling Judy about." Give them ISS or give them detention, SOMETHING! Although, the disciplinary action should not lie souly on the school. These parents are making me sick lately! I have an 8 yr old little girl at home. So help me god, if she ever goes out like these kids do now, I'd pull her back inside, re-dress her in the most hideous outfit and make her go to school like that, for punishment of trying to even get out of the house like that, let alone go to school. As for the person who said its sexuality, and we humans are sexual, and it should be ok?! It should be ok, but there is a time and a place for it. School is not the time, nor is it the place. Not to mention, these are KIDS! "

Leon Kapowski wrote on Feb 9, 2007 12:18 PM:

" I remember reading an article (don't remember where) in which a high school principal would take boys who wore their pants around their knees, and put a padlock on their beltloops to cinch the waist up tight, then take the padlock off at the end of the day before they went home. Sounds like a good idea to me. Don't circus clowns wear oversized baggy pants too? I never thought clown fashion to be very stylish, but I guess kids today do. Joking aside, I think the bigger problem with teens wearing provocative clothing, is that kids are being sexualized at younger and younger ages as time goes on. We can thank a combination of entertainers, the media, and lazy parents for that (mostly the parents). I'm an adult, and believe adults can dress in any manner they want... but teens living at home under mom and dad's roof need structure, they need rules to follow, period. That includes what they can and can't wear out in public. "

Unknown wrote on Feb 8, 2007 6:54 PM:

" I think they should have a school uniform at Auburn High. Make them out of TURF!!! "

T.A> wrote on Feb 8, 2007 3:57 PM:

" Judy, I agree that girls in highschool do need to dress more modestly, however, we need to be fair and include the boys as well. Young men are capable of modesty and it would be refreshing if they could lead by example. I see many highschool boys with pants down to their knees and yes; boxer shorts exposed. Young adults within a public arena or anywhere else for that matter, would do better to have the utmost respect for their bodies. This shows through in the way you dress. "

Eliza Barringer wrote on Feb 8, 2007 2:22 PM:

" Great article and I couldn't agree more. But,isn't the EDITOR supposed to clean up the article and make it flow nicely especially if they are EDITING it!! "

Winston's Mom wrote on Feb 8, 2007 4:47 AM:

" "So disagree" obviously was too concerned with his/her sexuality in school than to bother paying attention in spelling class. Kids are distracted by the present style of dress and not paying as much attention as they could be in class. "

So disagree wrote on Feb 7, 2007 5:37 PM:

" I am a former graduate from Auburn high school. I for one believe this is rediculous. All of you are so afraid of any type of sexuallity, that you wouldn't understand it if it bit you. I never agreed with the dress code, and will never. Humans are sexual beings, especially teenagers. I just don't understand why it is such a bad thing. Modesty doesn't make people good people. The ability to descern right form wrong does. This is not wrong. "

DD wrote on Feb 7, 2007 1:30 PM:

" Judy--normally I'd agree with you, but who are all of the people you are speaking of that have complained to you? "

Unknown wrote on Feb 7, 2007 10:28 AM:

" Dear Student.... It's because the girls are the biggest offenders of showing off what they got. "

High School Student wrote on Feb 7, 2007 9:06 AM:

" Why do you focus only on females? Males do it as well. Everyday walking through the halls at school I see guys dressed in ways that they probably shouldn't, For example, when guys sit down, the majority of the time you can see their boxers. Who wants to see that? I know i don't. What do have to say about that, Judy? Another thing during gym classes most boys think its funny to pull their shorts up pretty much as far as they can and still feel comfortable. That's also very gross. I don't think its just girls in this case. I think that you have addressed this matter in a very unequal manner. Surprise, Surprise! "

Lisa wrote on Feb 6, 2007 6:13 PM:

" High school students should be preparing for the workplace and going to school dressed as if they are already in the work place. "

Auburn High Student wrote on Feb 6, 2007 4:36 PM:

" In reply to Lucy, yes, there are girls who do change for certain classes, and some boys do it too, especially for gym class. Try thinking before you write. Another problem is the Playboy and pimp epidemic where boys and girls are advertising such things on their pants, shirts, backpacks, and anywhere else. "

Winston's Mom wrote on Feb 6, 2007 4:15 PM:

" I totally agree with you, Judy. Teenage girls look downright sleezy. I place a lot of the blame on parents who allow this. Teenage girls seem to be so impressed with themselves that they are growing breasts that they want to show them to everybody. Parents need to pay attention, if they wanted to they could lay down the rules about what is appropriate dress for school-and it is NOT cleavage, nor exposed midriffs. Parents today are way too tolerant and basically don't care. They are tired from having to work so hard to buy their kids gadgets that we ourselves did not have as kids. Administrators and teachers need to step in and not even allow these kids in the school door. Then call the parents and tell them why. Enough is enough. "

Veronica wrote on Feb 6, 2007 3:39 PM:

" Many public schools have "uniforms" for the students. This would solve any problems related to inappropriate dress in our schools. "

reader wrote on Feb 6, 2007 12:20 PM:

" I just can't picture many teacher talking with you about this problem, let alone all the others you listed. Are you Dear Abbey or something? "

Lucy wrote on Feb 6, 2007 12:02 PM:

" On paragraph talks about how girls are dressing for school. Then the next starts off with "and how the girls are dressing for class is also a problem." Is there some difference in Judy's mind between school and class? Are these girls changing in the hallways from what they wore to school? Another poorly written diatribe with little information and lots of hyperbole. When was the last time Judy was actually in the high school? "

REGISTRATION IS FREE.
Registered users sign in here:
*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login?
(requires cookies)
 
Unregistered users can register here:

Do not use usernames or passwords from your financial accounts!

Note: Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required!

*Create a Member ID:
*Choose a password:
*Re-enter password:
*E-mail Address:
*Year of Birth:
 

(children under 13 cannot register)

First Name:
Last Name:
Company:
Home Phone:
Business Phone:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
 
E-Citizen
E-Edition
Wheels Etc.
Find a vehicle
Hot Jobs
Find a Job
Homes Etc.
Find a Home
TV Week
Find a program
Search Classifieds
Find, Buy
Place a Classified Ad
Sell
Skaneateles Journal
The Journal
New! Best Bridal
Here comes the bride. . .
Liven Up the Holidays
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-laaaaaa
Logo HereNew! Off the Menu
Good Eatin'!
Newspaper Ads
See it again
CNY Boats Etc.
Achors aweigh!
New! School Project
A breakdown of the new school project.
Sections
Special Sections

Top Jobs

The Citizen Copyright ©2009
A division of Lee Publications, Inc.
25 Dill Street
Auburn, NY 13021

Contact Us

Add to My Yahoo!