Somebody once told me that the sagging pants fashion trend began as a glorification of incarceration. The way the story went, a guy would get arrested. The prison officials would take the prisoners belt, and those with ill-fitting pants would have to walk around with sagging jeans.In reaction, and as some kind of twisted expression of pride, gangsta boys began wearing their pants that way on the streets.
But in Gonzales, Texas, somebody thought it would be a good idea to put students who broke the dress code in prison jumpsuits!?
This from the Houston Chronicle, Photo from Eric Gay/AP:
If dress code doesn't suit teens, school district will
Parents say the inmate jumpsuit is too extreme for attire offense
GONZALES — Violating Gonzales High School's dress code is not a crime, but some of the offenders are about to start looking a lot like convicts.
Soon after classes begin Aug. 25, violators of the district's beefed-up dress code must don navy blue coveralls unless they get another set of clothes from home — or serve in-school suspension.
The outfits aren't just styled like prison jumpsuits — they're actually made by Texas inmates.
"We're a conservative community, and we're just trying to make our students more reflective of that," said Larry Wehde, Gonzales Independent School District deputy superintendent (pictured).
The new policy in Gonzales, about 70 miles east of San Antonio, has drawn plenty of criticism — along with some speculation that all the district will accomplish is to set off a new fashion trend.
Some parents and students are crying foul.
"They're not little prisoners," said Mary Helen Douglas, who has a 17-year-old son starting his senior year....
1 comment:
I believe that school dress code can be a really good idea, especially in middle and high school, but the way schools in the media are handling this issue has really astounded me. I agree there should be consequences for breaking the dress code, but not to the extent that one school in Texas did. If our schools resulted in making students who break the rule wear a prison suit, we are sending a completely wrong message to them. Not only is it a wrong message we are sending, but I do know from going through middle and high school, wearing the prison suits will more than likely become a “cool” fashion statement. Only the “best” and “most popular” kids do it. This will cause many students to want to wear the prison suits. I know if my child went to school here and had even a minor violation of the dress code which resulted in them wearing a prison suit in school would boil my blood. This is one policy I am sure will be quickly reversed.
Post a Comment