Online learning has changed the way students think about the dress code and the way they utilize it. The dress code is going unnoticed due to the fact that a lot of students have not been turning on their cameras, but Assistant Principal Wendy Eaton is here to remind students that the dress code still stands.

“Even during ‘virtual’ instruction, students are still ‘bound’ by the SRR,’ she said.

Since students aren’t required to show what they’re wearing or their face, being appropriately dressed for school has taken a back seat.

“I’ll roll out of bed like 5 minutes before class,” described student Owen S. “And I’ll have to eat breakfast, and I stretch.  I don’t really have time, so I’ll wear what I wore the night before.”

That’s not necessarily the case for all students, of course.  Davanee L., who admits to being camera shy, still gets dressed for school.

“I’m fine with a dress code because I wake up at least thirty minutes before the first classes start. I personally don’t like looking like [a slob] during the day,” said Davanee.  Also, she admitted that her mother would definitely have something to say if she stayed in her pajamas.

This concept is not lost on Owen.  When it matters, or when he knows he will be seen, he will definitely up his fashion game.

“I like to look good, even if the other people don’t care, because that’s just me.  If they make you turn your camera on, I mean I will, but some people are really, really shy and insecure, so I think making them turn their camera on is a bad idea.”

Currently, the dress code says that students’ have the right to express themselves in the way they dress. It is important, however, that their appearance is tasteful and appropriate for a K-12 school setting. But in the online environment, not all students see why it matters.

“For online learning, I don’t really see the point,” said Noah H. “Because we don’t really have to turn our cameras on. I mean if we do, and we know it’s just one day we do, I guess you could, like, make sure your hair is not a poofy mess, or make sure you are wearing a shirt with no stains on it or whatever, but other than that I feel like you don’t really need a dress code because if your camera is off and you’re at home, why are the teachers going to care what you’re wearing?”

Ms. Eaton maintains that a dress code, whether virtually or in-person, is important because it supports all students’ right to a “safe, secure, fair, equitable, and supportive environment.”