Students upset with enforcement of Green River High School’s dress code voiced their disapproval to the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees last week.
Samantha Hardin, a junior at GRHS, said dress code enforcement has become a growing problem for students, saying girls throughout the school have been told to cover up and wear different clothing. She said students face detention for failing to adhere to those requests. She said the issue has been most prevalent for girls wearing open-shoulder shirts, saying those shirts should not be a problem at the school.
Senior Jesse Lauze also addressed the board, saying “the dress code has been a longstanding issue for everyone, women in particular.” She said she doesn’t have grievances against the written dress code, but has issues with an unwritten dress code she claims is unfair and inconsistent in its application.
In a revised version of the high school’s 2017-2018 student handbook on the high school’s website, the school’s dress code is addressed on page 13. According to the dress code, students are required to wear clothing that is “neat, clean and in good repair. Clothing “must be worn modestly” and not reveal bare midriffs, backs below “the small of the back,” cleavage, and the underarm torso area are prohibited under the code.
Additionally, clothing depicting sexually explicit pictures, language or symbols; advertisements for inappropriate substances; as well as clothing featuring images and symbols suggesting antisocial or violent behavior are also prohibited. Chains, spikes, bracelets or hair picks with sharp or pointed edges are banned as well.
Both Hardin and Lauze said shoulders are not addressed in the dress code, with Hardin saying bare shoulders should not be considered indecent and aren’t a distraction to anyone.
“It’s kind of repressive, to be honest,” Hardin said.
Lauze said there’s a lack of consistency in how shoulders are addressed, which she believes are not immodest and isn’t addressed in the written code. Lauze also said straps have also posed a problem and are not addressed in the code. She said for administrators to decide on a case by case basis of what is and isn’t appropriate “demonstrates an extreme lack of due process.”
“It is an injustice to women and men to pull them out of class, telling them they’re dressed inappropriately, taking them away from their valuable class time,” she said.
Lauze further stated the management of women’s bodies by the high school administration causes them to feel judged and objectified by people who should be their mentors. She also said the inconsistent application of those unwritten rules creates an environment of injustice within the high school, saying the students should be treated like the young adults they are.
“No article of clothing should ever be valued more than our access to a quality education,” she said.
Board response
Responding to the students’ concerns, board members complimented the girls for approaching them in a professional manner, but did not commit to any action themselves.
Board member Ann Rudolph said the board was sideswiped by the issue, but commended the girls for using their voice and said it’s an area they can look into, calling on Superintendent Donna Little-Kaumo, Principal Darren Howard and Vice Principal Joe Hamel research the issue further. Board member Steve Core said he wasn’t willing to “die on a dress code hill at Green River High School.” He said the two students were outstanding, but asked Little-Kaumo to ensure he didn’t die on that hill.
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