LAWRENCE, Mass. – Students and parents at Lawrence High School are questioning the dress code enforced at the institution, according to The Eagle-Tribune.
Currently students wear a uniform that includes a polo shirt, khaki pants and brown or black shoes. Some students are fine with the uniform; however, they believe the administration is taking the dress code too seriously.
Each morning before students enter the building, security officers and administrators check to see if students are complying with the dress code. If authorities determine that students are not following the policy, students must wait for their parents to arrive with a change of appropriate attire. However, if a parent never shows up with a change of clothing, the student is placed on in-house suspension, where teachers hand out the day’s assignments.
If a student violates the policy for a second time, he/she is given detention. A third offense equals an in-school suspension, followed by a meeting with the parent and the principal. If a student violates the policy for a fourth time, he/she will receive out-of-school suspension.
Most students and parents are outraged because they say the violations are minor problems such as having silver bands on black shoes, or wearing tan corduroy pants as opposed to the cotton khaki pants. At an Oct. 9 School Committee meeting, officials said they would make changes to the uniform policy.
Officials maintain that the uniform policy is an anti-gang element.
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