There are various dress codes around the United States. Students at Dover High School do not understand how lucky they are compared to schools across the country. Dover is much more lenient than many other schools. These policies are used to help students dress in the appropriate clothing and provide them with discipline. This will instill a good habit of dressing appropriately when they get older and apply for jobs.
Many bigger schools have a very strict policy on their dress code. Some schools, like River Springs Charter School in California, even have their students wear uniforms. There are some positives to schools forcing kids to dress the same. When kids dress in the same clothes it can decrease the amount of discipline and also can decrease the amount of bullying. Children can get bullied because their opinion on clothes isn’t the same as everyone else. Overall, many dress codes for private schools across the country are more strict than public schools.
Dover’s dress code differs in many ways from schools across the nation. Many would agree that our school’s dress code has gotten better over the years and is much more lenient. A freshman, Riley Bullock shared with me “…Although there are some things that could be changed in the dress code, it has been improved in many ways…” Many of the DHS students would agree with the fact that there are always changes that can be made, but overall we have seen many improvements on some of the policies. Some of the recent changes our school has made include having a small stud in one’s nose, having facial hair as long as it is cleaned and groomed, shorts have to be an appropriate length (not fingertip), and because of Covid-19, students are allowed to have their backpacks on them all day. Dover had to have a lot of trust in their students to make that happen because carrying a bookbag around all day is a serious safety issue, but Covid-19 is a very big issue right now as well. Policies for dress codes differ according to the school, and balancing students’ desire for freedom of expression and the safety and conductivity of the school environment is always a tough call.