Kearns High School recently sent out a survey to the students, teachers and parents on the topic of dress code. The survey concluded and the new dress standard was drawn up. Taking input from the community, parents, educators, and students, the new dress code is meant to maintain a professional environment at Kearns High School. The expectation is that everyone at Kearns is following the dress code and maintaining an appropriate learning environment.
Some of the dress code stipulations include having clothes cover one armpit to the other from front to back. Bottoms cover all the way down to the mid-thigh. Tops need to cover the waistline and not show the midriff.
Within the dress standard, it states that Kearns’ authorities have the right to modify the dress code if needed to help maintain an environment that conducts learning and keeps students safe. The dress code states the following,“The Dress Standard is a representation of what the majority of our Kearns community considers reasonable. We understand that each individual person and family has a diverse opinion on what is and is not acceptable for dress standards in a school setting. We recognize the consensus of the data results does not represent all various opinions and is a general norm. Nonetheless, we will expect all students and teachers to follow and enforce the Dress Standard.”
The topic of dress code became an intense interest when a female student named Samantha Bell, from Taylorsville High School created a petition online to abolish or rewrite the school dress code.
The topic of dress code followed to Kearns where Sinave Aiono, a protester at Kearns High had this to say about dress code, “The way we dress is how we express ourselves. How are we supposed to be ourselves if we can’t dress the way we want?” An administrator at Kearns High School, Sarah Wall, rebutted by stating, “School is a place of education, it is also a place of professionalism. This isn’t your home or the park where you can just wear whatever you want but that goes for teachers, students, staff and faculty.”
Some Kearns High students do not care for the school dress code and some believe it is fine the way it is. Those who do care, believe the district does not have the right to tell them what to wear in school. Some students have commented that only female students are getting dress-coded. Sarah Wall, a KHS administrator, was asked to comment on the topic and the survey she made, she made it clear that male and female students all get dress-coded equally. Two male students, Grayson Enniss and Damien Reynolds wore crop tops to test a theory that they could walk around school without getting dress-coded. They ended up not being dress coded. Sarah Wall stated that she did not see Grayson Enniss and Damien Reynolds.“Think of a highway patrol officer, he’ll catch most cars speeding but not all cars. Sometimes we won’t catch students violating dress code.” Administrator Sarah Wall believes that students should be able to wear what they want, but it is all up to the community. She then stated that the survey which they sent out on the dress code was to try and resolve controversy and to put an end to protests.