There have been some tweaks to the dress code this year, and not every Duncan Middle School students agrees with the updated dress code.
This year, the changes include more specific language when comes to certain articles of clothing. For instance, shorts and skirts must come to mid-thigh, tank tops must have straps that are two-fingers wide, and pajama bottoms, crop tops, spaghetti straps, off the shoulder or backless shirts, muscle shirts and low cut shirts are not allowed.
“We are trying to prepare kids for the future,” Assistant Principal Amie Moore said about the dress code.
Zabry Ross, a seventh-grade student, expressed her frustration with parts of the dress code.
“(It’s) so that we don’t wear booty shorts because they want to make us dress up professional,” Ross said. ” I don’t know why we get dress-coded for our bra straps.”
Ross isn’t alone in her concerns about the dress code.
Eighth-grade Hannah Woods said she feels that the dress code applies more to girls than boys. Woods said shorts styles make it to where she can barely wear shorts without getting dress-coded.
“I can’t wear my shorts,” Woods said. “I get dress-coded. Like, my cheeks aren’t even out.”
Seventh-grade Jase Bumpas and sixth-grader Mason Copeland said the main issue they had with the updated dress code was making it to where students can no longer wear pajama bottoms outside of designated spirit days.
Bumpas said he understands why the dress code exists.
“Girls and boys might be inappropriate,” he said.
Even though he understands the dress code, he doesn’t think Duncan Middle School should move to uniforms and that the decision on what to wear to school should be up to the students because they need to express themselves.
Moore said the dress code is designed to be as fair to students as possible, while teaching students how to dress for the learning environment. She said the principals are working to address code issues.
“We are still trying our best,” she said.
Check out DuncanMSNews podcast episode about this topic. For specific information and descriptions of the dress code, check out the Duncan Middle School Student Handbook.
