The Monroe County Schools dress code needs to be updated. They allow no "unnatural" hair color, no rips below the knee, and they are exceptionally strict on girls shorts. I believe this is unfair and they are teaching girls that it is their responsibility to not garner inappropriate attention from boys. Instead, I would like to see them encourage young men to treat young women with respect, regardless of how they look. 

I think that the unnatural hair color rule is irrational because hair is a form of expression for some people. The school administration says this is because unnatural hair is distracting for other students. I think this is incorrect because if that was true then wouldn't bright colored clothes be a distraction too? So why aren't they telling me I can't wear bright colored clothes? To me pretty hair catches my eye as much as unnaturally colored hair, so why aren't they saying no cool hair styles as well? I propose that students be allowed to have whatever color hair they would like.

For rips below the knee in jeans, we're allowed to wear shorts five inches above the knee but can't have rips above the knee without leggings. The shorts people wear show more skin than rips. Butts, Cobb (Campell, Daniell, and Dickerson Middle), Fulton, Fayette, and Dekalb counties, just to name a few, allow rips finger tip length and below, or the short length requirement. Adjusting the length requirement may lead some to try to take advantage of the rule, but those who do try to take advantage of it should simply be dress coded if they break the rule. I propose that rips in jeans be allowed as long as they are below finger tip length.

I get why they don't want "short" shorts, but the guys are able to walk around with shorter shorts than the girls. They wear shorts that are 6, 7, and even 8 inch above the knee. Why is this allowed when girls have to go to the office and get their shorts measured if they even look questionable? The answer I've gotten when I questioned it is that some guys have such long legs and it's hard for them to find shorts that aren't below their knee and aren't really short. Girls have long legs too, and it's hard to find shorts the appropriate length, so girls just simply don't wear shorts at all. In gym, girls get away with wearing shorter shorts because it is easier to be athletic in shorts, and we are only in gym for an hour. But when we are "rewarded" with being able to wear athletic wear to school, we get dress coded for having shorts six inches above the knee unless we wear leggings underneath our shorts (which is extremely uncomfortable), or sweat pants which a lot of girls don't like. I propose that the allowed length for shorts be raised to 7 inches above the knee, which is the average length of standard women's athletic shorts. 

These are the main ways I believe the dress code should be updated, and I hope you share the same beliefs and sign this petition. For students, these changes will make getting ready in the morning a lot easier and give you more options for more personal expression. For parents, these changes should make shopping for school clothes a lot easier. And for everyone else, I would appreciate your support to help make this change. Thank you!