The school dress code is obviously necessary to maintain a sense of order and authority in the school and to eliminate distractions in the classroom. Some dress code rules, however, are arbitrary and ridiculous, specifically the rule that leggings cannot be worn as pants.

Over the years, the style of jeans has become more and more tight-fitting. Skinny jeans and jeggings are immensely popular among high school students now, despite the fact that they are much tighter fitting than properly sized leggings. The dress code states that pants must have pockets, which is an arbitrary standard. In fact, many jeans no longer have pockets sewn into them, a style that has arisen recently. Students are still allowed to wear pocketless jeans, but not leggings.

Secondly, leggings are comfortable. If students are to be in school eight hours a day, comfort is of upmost importance. Students learn best when they are comfortable in the clothing they are wearing, pockets notwithstanding. The dress code states “pants must fit appropriately over the hips.” Leggings, when worn properly, fit over the hips appropriately enough to allow students to wear them. Wearing leggings is the equivalent to wearing sweat pants, which many girls also wear, except they are much classier.

Thirdly, many of the dress code rules seem to be an attack on girls for being girls. Leggings are apparently too tight, but to whose standards? Leggings are not really that distracting. When worn in muted colors, they can prove to be even less of a distraction than the neon colored jeans that have become popular. The legging rule, along with the no shoulder rule, seem to be implicating that boys cannot control themselves around girls if their clothing is too tight or not covering certain parts of skin. It’s understandable to ban athletic shorts, but leggings literally cover the whole bottom half of a girl’s body, just like jeans.

The district policy should be revised so that leggings can be worn in school. Certain items of clothing, including leggings, should be permitted by the dress code because nothing about them is inherently offensive or revealing. Students should be allowed to wear comfortable clothes while at school.