Students stage walkout to protest school’s dress code ban on do-rags
Students at a Pasedena, Calif., school staged a walkout to protest the school’s dress code ban on do-rags.
The school uniform debate is alive and well, with USA Today recently claiming that dress codes could "actually jeopardize students’ well-being" in a story that drew on a government report.
USA Today summed up the government’s report on school dress codes in a headline from Monday: "Sexist, racist and classist: Why the feds are getting involved in school dress codes."
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), a congressional watchdog agency, called for schools to overhaul their dress code policies, or risk discriminating against "[b]lack students, "students with disabilities," "LGBTQI+ students" and religious minorities last year.
"Most districts," estimated at roughly 93 percent of school districts in the country, have some form of ban against "spaghetti strap tank tops," "short skirts," "leggings," "muscle shirts," or "sagging pants," according to the government report.
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"Most districts," estimated at roughly 93 percent of school districts in the country, have some form of ban against "spaghetti strap tank tops," "short skirts," "leggings," "muscle shirts," or "sagging pants," according to the government report. (Girl Scouts of the USA)
But the government claimed that schools had no excuse to push school dress codes because they threaten students' "well-being."
School dress policies sparked a national debate after two students sued the Charter Day School of Leland, North Carolina.
The cause of the dispute? Female students at Charter Day School were told they had to wear skirts.
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School dress policies sparked a national debate after two students sued the Charter Day School of Leland, North Carolina. (iStock)
The students argued that the dress code violated their right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment and eventually won in front of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The 4th Circuit slammed the skirt requirement in its ruling, writing that it was "based on the view that girls are ‘fragile vessels’ deserving of ‘gentle’ treatment by boys."
But after an appeal from the school, the case may go as the Supreme Court.
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Multiple activist groups have taken an interest in the school dress debate, with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filing an amicus brief in support of the North Carolina girls back in 2020.
The group tweeted that girls should not be "forced to wear skirts as part of their uniform."
"Clothes are just that— Let kids wear what they want, free from discrimination," the SPLC said on Twitter.
The SPLC is the same organization that labeled certain conservative and Christian organizations "hate groups" early last year.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also opposed school uniform policies, calling them "repressive" on its website.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Leland Charter Day School for additional comment.
Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.