Our school has a dress code, but it is reasonable and enforced.
Our middle school has over sized - 2XL and bigger sized shirts for girls to put on, if their pants, shorts, skirts are too short or to tight. Or if they wear a middle showing shirt, deep V neckline or to tight of a shirt.
For those boys who instist on wearing jeans hanging off their butts, #1 rule that is enforced is the pants must be sit at or above your waist, so that your underwear does not show. Two years ago when my son start as a 6th grade, the new principal was all over this one. If you were caught with your pants dragging, you went to the office and they used zip ties thru the belt loops to tighten the pants up. There were step in place for an offenered who thought to remove the zip ties. Some of the boys thought they had found a way around the zip tie issue, they cut the belt loops off of their pants. Nope, this did not stop our pricipal. He just went out and bought a whole bunch of suspenders that the kids had to wear instead. He even found a couple of pairs of the rainbow "Mork" suspenders somewhere.
DD is an incoming 6th grader this year. They had orientation last week. As part of orientation, some of the 7th and 8th graders did a fashion show of does and don'ts of the dress code. She said there are some of the girls she went to elementry with that thought they were going to get to wear some of the older teen outfits, that were part of the fashion show, as don'ts. One girls, 11/12 years old, is mad because her favorite pair of jeans she bought for the school year, she can't wear. They have "rips" in them on the butt and high thigh area. I know her mom, and I know mom doesn't know she has these. Guess daddy let her buy them when she was with him.
They also got introduced to the t-shirts and susperders. DD said you could tell who had an older brother or sister at the school and those who didn't. If the 6th grader didn't, they didn't/don't believe that the school will really make them wear them. One of the girls DD went to elm school with, her mom called me and verified that they would enforce the t-shirt rule. Told her yes they do. Apparently the girls grandma took her cloth shopping and the girl talked grandma into a lot of items that mom wouldn't have purchased. Since they are a "gift" to the girl, they are in a disagreement of wether she gets to keep them or they go back. I think after our conversation, a lot of them will be going back.
I hate 'dress down' Friday's at work because I have to 'think' about what I'm going to wear - I think it's a symptom of being so, so busy all the time that it's so much easier if our weekly routine is set - i.e. Every Sunday I iron 5 shirts for DH, 5 blouses and trousers for me and 5 blouses and pinafore for Niamh. I could see us being late every day if there was a choice in the morning...
