Dress codes, in many ways, are both sexist and overall wrong to have at all.

They teach young men and women to cover up from a young age and that their bodies are simply a distraction. Any revelation of thighs, shoulders, or stomachs, is considered "inappropriate."

Have we ever taken a second to wonder why that perspective is dug into our minds? Dress codes especially target female students; typical dress codes, including the one enforced by FUSD, have a ban on a variety of things including no shorts shorter than your arm span, no skirts without pants underneath, no shirts with straps less than 3 inches, etc. This seems rather excessive and is essentially telling young women to cover up, or else be a distraction to other students, especially men and boys.

This is simply a form of victim-blaming. Schools should further enforce rules against sexual harassment and other such offenses instead of telling potential victims to cover up. This is also offensive to men and boys, suggesting that they cannot be around women with decent-length shorts without going crazy.

A better idea would be to adjust the rules in a way that isn't restricting to students and still continues to encourage an appropriate environment. For example - saying that shorts must cover buttocks completely instead of enforcing the finger-tip rule. The same goes for tops - as long as breasts and cleavage are completely covered, you are following the dress code. It is also important to make sure that the dress code is gender-neutral and does not create stereotypes as to ways girls, boys, and any other genders should dress.