The new uniform mandate being imposed on us, Miami Arts Charter students, is an overreach into the few remaining rights that are not surrendered to the school. Principal De La Rosa is restricting the student body in a way that negatively impacts the school's atmosphere and overall academic performance. New rulings that ban students from having facial piercings, hoop earrings, or any dangly earrings; from dyeing their hair with unnatural colors; and outlawing students from having visible tattoos all pose a threat to students' creativity and artistic production. The restrictions are set up in a way that would cause issues for both low-income households and threaten to lower the school's artistic output. The basis of art is expression, so as an art school, expression should actually be one of the most sought-after qualities you find in its students. By restricting the articles of clothing to only polos, slacks, and select coats and sweaters, a financial burden is imposed on families who are forced to purchase Miami Arts Charter-branded clothing, which is limited in expression and affordability. By enacting these restrictions, Mr. De La Rosa shows ignorance towards his students and disregard for the name of art by taking away one of its key elements. Not only that, these restrictions are bound to make the school an uncomfortable place for many students; it will become a place associated with order and conformity. The proposed mandates are littered with prejudice directed towards large demographics of students and punish artists for expression. Rules like requiring students to have hair that meets "acceptable" standards and to be groomed as the school deems proper directly affect almost every social and ethnic minority at the school. Prejudiced mandates aren't a one-off thing either; a 2020 case involved two students, black and native, who were disciplined by the Barbers Hill Independent School District because they refused to cut their hair because it violated the district's new mandate. Another case in 1999 involved a student from Surry County High School who was suspended from school because his hair was dyed blue and refused to reinstate the student, causing the case to move to a lawsuit. Miami Arts Charter is meant to be a place where aspiring artists come to blossom into who they are as artists and as people. I believe I speak for many students at Miami Arts Charter when I say that art worthy of the school and our own expectations isn’t created when our means of expression are limited. 

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