Bandanas are currently banned in my high school through our dress code. Bandanas should be allowed at school because it’s a form of self-expression. A lot of the time nowadays, people wear bandanas for style instead of for representation. There are fewer and fewer gangs wearing bandanas on their heads to show gang affiliation. Why should all teens not be allowed to wear bandanas because of this seemingly non-existent problem? There already is a no-tolerance policy for gangs in school, so why would the bandanas be banned? If someone was acting like a gang member and wearing gang colors, schools could do what the policy says to do instead of simply banning bandanas for everyone. As a result, It makes it where students can’t self-express themselves. Self-expression helps you find who you truly are, and expressing yourself decreases anxiety, depression, and the feeling of not being wanted or welcomed in school. Nowadays more and more teens have depression and anxiety. Self-expression is important for everyone but especially now for teens and younger kids.

My goal is to persuade my school district to alter our dress code policy to allow the wearing of bandanas during the school day.