My name is Channa Goldman, I attended Salem Central School from kindergarten on through Grades 1-10 (2006-2015), and during the entirety of my academic experience there, my body was policed, regulated, and discriminated against. The dress code system enforced by SCSD is sexist, unrealistic, and desperately needs to be amended in order to reflect the basic standards of gender equity we expect in 2021. 

When I was in 7th grade, I was told that my jean shorts with cartoon owl leggings underneath was an inappropriate outfit, and that I needed to change, or I would be sent home. Today in 2021, the students of SCSD are still not allowed to show up to school in leggings/yoga pants. They are not allowed to have a bra strap showing, even if it's a sports bra. They are not allowed to show any part of their legs beyond what "fingertip length can cover". I was even told that my shirt with the Lorde "Pure Heroine" album name on it was "too suggestive". 

These rules do not prepare students for the 'real word', but rather they prioritize the education of male students over female comfortability and expression. They teach young girls that their bodies are shameful, and that they are not in charge of how they want to be perceived. In addition, they are more strictly enforced depending of the body type/weight of the student.

We demand an amended dress code that does not sexualize the bodies of minors. We demand a dress code that does not center itself around misogyny, and unrealistic standards that are not even enforced at the highest levels of higher education. These dress codes are not based on evidence, but on an antiquated notion that somehow, a girl (not even a woman), is innately sexual and 'distracting' by virtue of having a body.