I believe students in the reading school district should be allowed to be able to wear what they want. The rules are unfair (especially for females) and suffocating. Having to constantly deal with hot and uncomfortable uniforms is distracting. 

 Frankly, the reasoning for uniforms and dress code is ridiculous. The dress code is decided by ADULTS who have no right to dictate what we can or can not wear. 

 Uniform is in place due to teachers and administrators thinking that this will “prepare us to learn in a professional environment” so we can “dress appropriately.”

They undermine our intelligence and common sense, of course, if we were working in an office or going to a meeting that’s important we’d dress “appropriately.” But we are children, students, and people- not some office employee. We should be allowed to express ourselves and be kids while we still can.

Uniform is also very uncomfortable to wear for a lot of students! Because of the little leeway in how you can alter uniform, it can be uncomfortable to wear at different times of the year. Let’s say you are in thick, black khakis, and a button-up shirt with a vest of some sort. Sure you can take off the vest or unbutton a few of the buttons. At the end of the day, however, that student will be sweating buckets! Schools have poor air conditioning and heating for students. Especially public schools that don’t have the funding or resources to repair them.

From my own experience, they uniformly made me feel awful and self-conscious about my appearance. The ill-fitting cream khakis and long navy polo made me feel terrible about my appearance. My friends as well have expressed the same self-esteem issues due to the uniform/dress code.

 I’d like to also mention the attendance and the morale of the student body. I’ve seen firsthand how more kids show up to school when there is a “dress down day” at school. Where they can be free to wear (mostly) whatever they’d like for the day. Students who came to school without uniforms seemed more comfortable and confident without uniforms to restrict them. I think removing uniform and changing dress code rules can possibly prevent arguments or clashes between students and faculty.

 I know what you’re thinking, “Hey but uniform decreases bullying for fashion choices, etc.”

 I don’t think that’s the case. The problem is the lack of awareness and aid by staff. Not to mention, a lot of bullying nowadays happens online and on campus. Students who bully others know that if caught on campus they can face detention and possible suspension. I think bullying is a completely different issue from dress code reform and shouldn’t be incorporated into the dress-code. There are many ways to prevent bullying and harassment at schools. Trust me, dress code isn’t one of those things.

The dress code in general is very sexist. Boys also have dress code and can be as restricting as a girls but for a completely different reason.

 Girls are told to cover up, not distract boys, etc. They set for us girls to not sexualize ourselves yet here they are thinking our shoulders are enough to elicit a reaction from them. I think it’s honestly degrading that the School Board views boys this way. And it’s especially not fair that instead of educating them about respect, and decency, they create these ridiculous rules to repress students from being themselves. Gender-non-conforming students shouldn't be forced to wear clothing that can harm their mental health. Girls should be able to go to school without worrying that they might miss an hour of class in the office just for clothes.

It’s not okay for male teachers to dress code female minors nor for grown women to shame or enforce this rule. They KNOW how it’s like to be a teenager, they’ve experienced this, and it’s not fair for them to say “I know how it’s like. I was a kid too.” If this was true then they should be standing beside us.

 To wrap this up, I think the students should have a vote on the school board. If they are going to make decisions on us students then WE should have a say. I’m tired of parents and administration deciding for us! 

  We all have to stand up for change, I believe we should start somewhere so why not start with the dress code?

 If you are a student in the readings school district or are a student who believes in dress code reform then feel free to sign this petition! Even if nothing gets done, we’ve shown the school board that we aren’t afraid of making a change or standing up for what we believe in!