The roll out or re-enforcement of Morton Middle School's antiquated dress code has caused numerous young ladies to be sent home or sent to SAFE, for the "crime" of wearing the always provocative long baggy t-shirts over leggings.  These "rules" are being applied and enforced in an arbitrary fashion, traumatizing decently dressed young women. With countless young women already suffering from anxiety and depression as well as texture issues, this unfair public humiliation and shaming needs to stop. The entire process teaches all the wrong lessons to students and parents alike, telling them to be ashamed of their bodies and cover them up.  It also imposes an unfair and impractical burden on parents who have already purchased their kids' school clothes, and are now told clothing worn all year is not acceptable, go purchase long tops -- that don't exist.

For these and other reasons, we ask MMS to immediately cease the implementation of its antiquated dress code.  Stop traumatizing young women with inspections and arbitrary decisions that send them home. 

The rules need to be revisited and revised.  The revised dress code should be clear, reasonable, and fair.  It should avoid provisions that unreasonably target students by sex or race.  The current dress code fails to meet these reasonable goals.  Its application does unfairly target young women.  It does contain unreasonable and subjective terms, leading to inconsistent and arbitrary application.  This includes but is not limited to the "fingertip" test.  

The recent roll out and application of this dated policy is inconsistent with a school that says it emphasizes fairness and hard work.  It needs to stop.