Tottenville High School in Staten Island is choosing the last days of summer to get seriously strict about its dress code. In only its second week back in session, the school has doled out around 200 detentions, mostly to females, over dress code violations, and now students are fighting back.
The dress code disallows tank tops, low-cut blouses, leggings, too-tight pants, and shorts or mini-skirts shorter than the reach of the wearer's fingertips. To enforce the policy, called "Dress for Success," 15 teachers greet the students in front of the school and inspect student's outfits to make sure they are up to code. Students that don't meet expectations are sent to the Dean's office and then are made to wait in the auditorium until someone arrives with more acceptable clothing or else students are forced to wear gym clothes—which, if we remember anything about high school, is basically social suicide.
Some students are rebelling by "basically wearing undergarments," one father against the policy told The New York Post. For now, though, the principal is sticking to his guns, saying that certain clothing is banned because it "creates a distraction, is dangerous or interferes with the learning and teaching process."
We've seen these sort of strict punishments backfire as recently as last week when some parents were outraged when a student was forced to wear a "shame outfit" after violating her school's dress code.
[via New York Post]
