Is the Dress Code at West the Best?

The dress code has been changed once again. Last year, shorts were measured to their fingertips. For the 2021-2022 school year, the short length is no longer written into the dress code. However, students are not allowed to show their midriff, back, and undergarments.

The fingertip length rule changed this year because it was inconvenient for students and staff. Mrs. Kulczycki elaborates, “Shopping became more difficult because girls couldn’t show their shoulders and had to wear knee-length shorts.” Staff struggled to monitor this rule. 

“This year’s change is worse than last year,” says Laurenne Anquetil, a 7th grader at West Middle School. “Because of Covid, they [staff] were more lenient last year.” While some argue that the dress code is better, others argue that the rules have improved. Devyn Rieger, West 7th-grader explained, “I couldn’t wear any of my shorts because they weren’t down to my knees, but now that the rules have changed, I can wear whatever I want.” 

There is still a conflict between students whether the new dress code changes were for better or worse, “I was getting things from my locker and my shirt jumped up a little, and a teacher told me to come up with a plan or get a change of clothes,” Marleigh Hammond explained. 

However, girls are not the only ones who complain; some boys believe it is unfair to girls as well. “I think that girls get dress coded more often than boys because they show more skin, and it’s just not fair to the girls that boys don’t get dress coded as much,” Max Martinez, West 7th grader says, “Boys should not be allowed to wear short shorts because it would be weird and unfair to other people.”

 The dress code at West Middle School has been a struggle between teachers and students for many years. The dress code still remains a debate on whether it actually applies to both genders.