History has a weird way of repeating itself, and it definitely shows each year at Woodland Regional High School. Each year, spring comes around and the weather gets warmer, and for both students and the administration,the dress code becomes a very touchy subject around the school.

One can see this subject brought to attention when warm days begin. ‘Weather Confusion’ is what some might call it. Sweat pants, jeans, knee length shorts, and of course short shorts and skirts can be seen throughout the hallways depending on students preferences.  However, some of the clothing students think is appropriate differs greatly from what teachers think is appropriate. And each year the administration tries to implement a dress code, however it never seems to stick.

In the beginning of each spring, Vice Principal, Dr. Dana Mulligan, calls each grade down to the auditorium for an assembly during the block of advisory. She puts together power point slide after power point slide to try and demonstrate the proper attire for students to wear. This attire is what would be considered appropriate for the school environment. The assemblies are mainly focused on girls and what should be appropriate for them. Some examples that usually come up throughout the assembly are shorts, tank tops, spaghetti straps, tight yoga pants and leggings, and making sure students know what length of shirts are acceptable so the stomach does not show.

The girls’ dress code is not the only issue though, the boys have the problem as well. It is quite common for male students to walk around with their jeans too low, exposing their boxers. Dr. Mulligan makes a good point to tell boys not to break that rule as well.

Scandalous dress is not the only thing that comes into play with these assemblies. Hats, hoods, and ear devices are not allowed in the building either.

After going to a few of these assemblies during the course of years at Woodland, one can say that at most of the presentations, students actually laugh. Dr. Mulligan does a good job of making herself clear when describing the rules and regulations, but students sometimes do not take it seriously.

“The problem with enforcing the dress code fully is that there aren’t enough people to speak with the offending students,” said Mulligan. “Teachers are uncomfortable telling students what is appropriate or not, and the male teachers having to talk to female students can create an uncomfortable situation for both.”

The faculty members who are mostly in charge of enforcing these rules are the administrators, who include Dr. Mulligan, Mr. Ben Palladino, the Dean of Students, and Mr. Brian Fell, who doubles as a Vice Principal and the Athletic Director.

“Students need to learn to make better judgments about what they wear to school each day. Sometimes I don’t see what they’re wearing until they’ve made it almost all the way through the school day,” said Mulligan. “Teachers should be able to focus on teaching, and shouldn’t have to make the call on what is appropriate and what isn’t.”

 

Appropriate Spring Outfit Ideas by Erin Mascoli-