A lot of people at Westport think that the dress code targeting tank tops, crop tops, shorts, ect. is outdated.  I think that these rules are unfair, as they mainly target female students. Defending these dress codes by saying that these rules are there to keep students from being distracted by their classmates is ridiculous. Though I do think that there should be some restrictions to keep school professional, the current rules are too restrictive. 

Telling students to change their clothes because it's distracting is innapropriate, and could do more harm then good. It's more of a distraction to comment on a students clothes then them wearing those clothes in the first place. If someone is really that distracted by someone's shoulders, legs, or stomach then that's what we need to be focusing on. Not once in my life have I been distacted by someone's revealing clothes, in school or out. I understand it's rude and gross to stare or comment on someones body. 

When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to wear a pair of jean shorts that I loved to school. My mom had to explain to me that I couldn't wear those, as they would make me change when I got to school. This made me, at five years old, self conscious for a long time. I know it has the same impact now. Commenting on someone's clothing could cause them to be ashamed of their body, and I think schools should be looking to empower students. 

I have had several friends come to me very upset after being told to cover up because of a tank top or crop top. Recently, they have changed the dress code to allow ripped jeans. Not once has someone stared at me because of my jeans with holes on them. These rules are useless, and don't prevent harrasment at westport. These rules inforce the idea that victims of sexual harrassament/assualt were harrassed because of their clothing choices, which is completly untrue. 

All of these reasons should be enough to convince you to sign this petition. I hope that together, we can bring awareness to this issue. As a member of student council I can make a change for this school, a change that has been requested by so many people at Westport. Together, we can make Westport better.