For the 2022-23 school year at Findlay High School, administration has decided to crack down and strictly enforce their dress code. Administrators have deemed the dress code to be incredibly important, including attaching it to student’s schedules for pick up during orientation. Class meetings were also held during the first week of school to further inform students of the changes.

“Findlay High School supports equitable educational access and the safe and healthy expression of student individuality,” Administration explains the reason for the emphasis on the new changes.

Some aspects of the new dress code shall remain the same as previous years in not allowing students to wear clothing or accessories that could hint to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, gangs, profanity, violence or display offensive messages to ethnic, cultural, religious, racial or legally protected groups.

Students would now be in violation of the dress code if clothing or accessories would not provide effective coverage of the chest, stomach, back and buttocks. Continuing, students are not permitted to wear headwear that would interfere with the visibility of a student’s face.

Points on costumes and face paint have also been added to the code.

Students as well as staff have expressed that they are grateful for the dress code due to the well being of other students.

“All students should have the opportunity to learn; therefore, it’s important to have a standard of dress where all students feel they can learn within a safe environment where clothing choices of others don’t interfere with their opportunity to learn,” English teacher Dr. K expresses her opinion.

Junior Alex Cleveland agrees with the ideas that Dr. K presented.

“I think the dress code is somewhat important because, like Dr. Kennedy said, you have to have an environment where you can feel safe to learn and also comfortable without any distractions,” Cleveland explains.

While Cleveland informs that he supports the dress code in some aspects, he also remarks that some of the rules seem harsh and unnecessary.

“I think that clothing style is an expression of who you are,” senior Brock Beard said. “To the school, who are you to tell people what they can and can’t wear?”

Beard seems to represent a large population of the student body in his opinion. Furthermore, he emphasizes that such a strict dress code limits the amount of required creative freedom.

All above rulings by administration have been attached to student schedules as well as included in the student handbook. However, during Wednesday collaboration meetings, teachers have been informed of further rules included in the dress code.

Dr. K commented on the idea that has been implemented about “lines”. The “lines” rule indicates that if a line of cleavage or a line of the buttocks is shown, the student is to be dress coded.

“I kind of understand the line thing but what about girls that have no cleavage?” senior Taylor Nichols questioned. “She is able to wear the same low cut top as a girl with [a bigger chest] who would be dress coded.”

While the “lines” idea is not specifically written within the dress code, it has been implemented by administration into what teachers should be dress coding for. Nichols as well as other students have expressed their disgust with this rule.

A poll was conducted with randomized students regarding their opinions on the dress code. 40.9% of the students agree that the dress code restricts expression of freedom while 34.8% believe that it does not. The remaining 24.2% are indifferent or uneducated on the subject.

Due to the extremity of the dress code, certain students have been running into problems in figuring out what to wear.

“I have friends who don’t want to wear half their wardrobe since teachers and administration feel as it ‘shows too much skin’,” junior Kaden Hutchinson remarks. “I have friends that don’t wear shorts now in fear that they will be dress coded.”

The new changes this year have clearly caught students and staff by surprise. A multitude of students have expressed their concerns and request administration to level out the dress code and work towards a compromise.