Legal Question in Discrimination Law in Pennsylvania
Dress code
Hello
I have 2 children and they attend a public school. The district decided to change the dress code and we can only wear what they say. No denim, no t-shirts. every shirt must have a collar and pants can only be navyblu, tan, gray, or black. My question is Can a public school do this? They voted on this without parents even knowing about it. I am having a hard time finding the clothes at the stores. I cant afford to shop at the mall, its to expensive. It seems to me like they are taking away childrens identities. It just doesnt seem right to me, after all it is a Public school not private.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Dress code
Generally, yes, a public school can impose a dress code, but they cannot do so merely on a whim. Rather, the school needs to decide that a dress code is necessary to restore order or some other proper purpose. In my experience that's usually not the case: instead, the school board imposed a dress code because it felt like it.
You should contact your local chapter of the ACLU to hear their thoughts on the issue; the ACLU has been on the forefront of this issue.
(see http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/youth/30361prs20070705.html )
You should also start contacting other parents; at some point, public pressure will make a school board capitulate. The fact that you apparently are having difficulty finding and/or affording the clothing is very disturbing, and should be raised with the Board, your Mayor and Aldermen/Council, and the ACLU.
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