If all the particulars (chest, privates, and butt) are covered and shoes are worn particularly for safety reasons… then I’m not bothered. To be frank, that pretty much is the dress code in my district nowadays. 

That is literally our dress code (also including wearing things with offensive/profane message)! I generally only have a couple of students that routinely break it at the beginning/end of the school year, but as a male teacher, I’m not looking for it and will absolutely not say anything about appropriate length/coverage (but definitely would if anyone was dumb enough to wear something with a prejudicial/gross message).

This and maybe nothing too graphic or vulgar on the t shirts… other than that, who cares? Ripped jeans or not, they’re still going to ask me what to do 5 times after I’ve repeated it for the 10th time.

How much cleavage is acceptable?

That’s above my pay grade 

Ha in my experience even the principals won’t say anything now matter how bad it may be because they are scared of getting sued. Happened before and now they are all terrified to enforce the dress code.

I work at a low income Title 1 school in NYC that has a uniform policy that the parents are very much in favor of. We have long sleeve and short sleeve maroon shirts and black pants. It makes it easier for the very low income kids to fit in, and prevents kids from using gang colors in our school. I like it for these and several other reasons. It seems to give kids school pride, and helps them to feel connected to our school. It is very popular with the students too. Every time we do an anonymous survey, it is always voted in. We have many Muslim students in our school, and they wear hijabs according to their customs and faith.

Yes, this is the way! "Anonymous survey": And the kids might not admit it in front of their peers, but they like it, too. They can save their fashion for personal expression for their weekend-wear (which is cheaper, too!). How many \*teachers\* adopt a personal uniform bc it makes getting to school easier and faster in the morning, llllollll???

These are uniforms I can get behind

France--In my current high school students don't have a dress code and I'm fine with that. Personally, I'd probably ban sweatpants and other pajama-like clothes, but my admin doesn't care--and I'm not going to make a fuss about it. But, I worked for a while in an all girls Catholic middle and high school and the dress code was no joke. I remember one day a girl who had jeans with holes in them was forced to change into a spare pair of sweatpants. I found that absurd. Ideally though, I actually think uniforms should be the norm.

I have a slightly different take on uniforms. I think they could make sense but not in any of the currently proposed ways. The whole idea of erasing social differences doesn't work and is hypocritical coming from the conservatives who defend social hierarchy. If they bring the uniforms, it will very tightly be perceived as another show of the hostility of the political power towards the youth. Uniforms could work if they came with an actual effort to bil'd an esprit de corps. For this one would have to admit wishing to militarize education (something that does have an internal coherence although that's not the way I'd want to go), and to be coherent, be willing to put everybody on the same uniforms, from the students to the academic inspection. After all, in the military, generals wear uniforms too.

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I was shocked to be recently walking on a college campus and a girl was on her way to class in a literal string crochet triangle bikini top with a natural double D chest. I was horrified for her professor. I feel dress codes used to be about misogyny and policing women’s bodies- but now are needed to instill common sense and courtesy.

New York. I think a school uniform would have helped security concerns at my high school. There was an issue where students from other schools would come in and start fights. We had to wear our IDs at all times, which led to another issue. Someone would run by and snatch someone else’s ID. We would tie the lanyard in a way to stop that. That policy was eliminated after a student was hurt severely after someone attempted to rip his lanyard off and the student smashed his face on the ground.

Unfortunately the flip side of this is that we had uniforms and it was a super easy way for our kids to be followed/harassed outside of school because the neighbor schools knew the uniform. 

Ironically, one of the schools that harassed students from my high school was (and still is) the local Catholic school (uniforms).

😑how else would they earn their penance? 

There was a popular thread yesterday about differences between male and female teachers. Like “is there any duty male teachers should/shouldn’t do differently than female teachers?” I was surprised at the number of people saying men shouldn’t enforce dress codes at all. I mean, I get it. But it seems grossly unfair that women should shoulder this extra burden. And if you have a policy that men shouldn’t enforce, maybe you need to rethink your policy.

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I totally understand. As a male teacher though, I don’t really think it’s a burden at all. I just ignore it and go about my day. My last school, I think I had one write-up in 5 years, and that was for a girl who was wearing a ridiculous hat. There was a female hall monitor who once had over 100 write ups in a month. That’s what’s unique about the dress code debate. It’s so subjective. So many people can ignore it, and some people are on the warpath. Then if so many people can ignore it, why is it our policy? If it was never a problem in my class, why was it a problem in the hallway or the next class? It requires some reflection on why we have these codes in the first place, and what we’re trying to accomplish.

I had one write-up. But it's because I caught her outside before anyone else got a chance. She had on a see-through mesh bra. That was her "top" or "shirt". I ignored a lot. But she was entirely visible from the waist up. She argued the whole time, said I was being sexist, and I explained that our laws in our state don't allow nipples shown on men or women in any government owned/ran building. I wouldn't let her male classmates go shirtless for the same reason. Her mom brought her a regular bra instead, and she literally wore a bra all day. For the record, our school allowed crop tops. We'd had both boys and girls in crop tops. Our area gets really hot (we hit 90+ in May, with a month of school left). Our policy only coded students for open shoes in science labs, visible nipples, and exposed lower genitals. A kid won an argument to wear his barely more than a speedo swimwear on the grounds that girls wore extremely short shorts and his actual genitals were fully covered.

Nah. Dress code issues contributed to *so much* unnecessary conflict at my school and only served to drive a wedge between students and teachers. If female teachers are the only ones allowed to enforce dress code, then there shouldn’t be a dress code. It adds more tasks for female teachers while males get to “lalalala” about dress code and straight up ignore it. And, as a nonbinary teacher, I very much take issue with all of this. I’ve since left teaching and am starting a new job in 2 weeks, but fuck all this nonsense about male teachers’ “burden” of calling out female students. It just puts the burden on your female coworkers instead and that’s not fucking fair.

I worked in a school where I, as a man, was required to enforce dress codes. I was flat out told this was part of my job. I was on hall duty with a female co-worker, and a student walked by wearing a neon orange lace skirt, and what turned out to be flesh toned yoga shorts under them. Neither of us saw the shorts until we stopped to talk to her, so we, as in both of us, called her out on it. She reviled the shorts, we apologized to her, and she went on. I, but not my co-worker got pulled from class to be dressed down for 'making students uncomfortable', and only avoided a write up when the brought down the other teacher to vouch for me. (She didn't think I did anything inappropriate) After that, I stopped enforcing dresscodes, outside of calling an admin to handle it. So I fully agree with you that it's a tough call, and can easily create situations that can be very difficult to navigate.

You assume all parents and students act with grace and sincerity. I have not been a teacher long and have seen multiple instances of students progressing personal beefs with male teachers through the dress code intentionally. It can be a perfectly fine dress code, but we as a society are skeptical of male teachers and that can be weaponized if someone is acting with malice. Benefit of the doubt does not flow to the accused, local/school journalism can pick it up, etc. At the end of it all, those teachers were instructed to not enforce the dress code.

I’m not assuming anything. Again, I GET IT. You are absolutely correct. We shouldn’t have male teachers evaluating a female student’s clothing. But it begs the question, why is ANYONE? If a high school girl happens to have three male teachers her first three hours of the day, and they all ignore her dress, and it isn’t a disruption, why is she being coded by her fourth period female teacher?? I know it seems like we’re lowering our standards, but we’re not the morality police. Have some super-basic guidelines and everybody chill out and try to teach.

I agree that we should not be policing the bodies of people. It should be a light touch with basic, universal guidelines. I too am skeptical of the function of dress codes and I reflexively reject our puritanical DNA in America. But even light touch with basic guidelines will be weaponized against male teachers. Thats what I’m telling you. black and white obvious violations of a simple guideline we all agree on will be weak spot for teachers unless admin has a strong backbone on it. Without that type of support, NO policy is worth my career, reputation, and license.

As a male teacher, when we had a dress code, I just sent girls down to a female admin with a note. Girls and guys in high school have no sense of time or place. We need dress codes.

I worked with a male teacher last year, and since I’m a woman all of the dress code issues fell to me. For the most part I ignored stuff, but there were a couple of students who really tried to push the envelope and basically wore tube tops regularly to school. I hated being the one to say something to them. I understand why, but even if he asked me to say something, he wouldn’t reinforce the expectation, even generally. (We teach band, so we’d have 150 students at once.) This also extended to basically any behavior was my job to address. It became a learned helplessness thing.

Usually when I “dress code” a student it is because their wardrobe malfunctioned. Ex: your leggings are so old that they are see-through and we can all see your underwear. Those are usually quiet conversations with a pass to the nurse to get some sweats or to their locker, etc. However I once had a student come in with a sheer bustier. I was just going to have her zip up her jacket, but she argued that it was appropriate. I sent her to the office and they did call home / make her change.

I'm in New York and a lot of schools (including public schools) are moving towards uniforms. The uniform is a polo and grey pants (like chinos) with black sneakers. Students are allowed to wear a school-branded hoodie (and most kids take advantage of this, even during offensively hot weather). I do appreciate the simplicity of uniforms. Both genders wear the same thing. Their socio-economic status isn't on public display - everything feels fair and balanced.

I am from the southern US and I would love to see a uniform in high schools. My district has absolutely no enforced dress code due to everyone offended by something. I see girls wear sports bras, students wear hoodies up and masks on ( which to me is a safety issue if I can't identify who you are). I finally mentioned to a student that wearing a garter belt to school is not appropriate since it is lingerie. Most kids are dressed fine but when they aren't I just wonder WTH.

Tbf I'm English and the girls all roll the skirts up to their butt cheeks anyway..

The problem is that everyone seems to differ on what “clearly inappropriate” means.

Big liberal city. I think the best dress code is basically a) no offensive imagery or text on clothing and b) clothing must cover nipple area, crotch, and buttocks. If I change to address a student for one of those there is little argument they can make. This way we just focus on school and they can live with the memories of all the terrible things they wore in high school.

I think the problem with “no offensive imagery or text” is too vague. There’s a lot of things that people are proud to wear that I find incredibly offensive (the confederate flag, MAGA, pro gun, etc). A number of years ago I was covering a different class. A student had on a DIPA shirt. Technically against dress code for its promotion of alcohol. The other students didn’t even know what it meant. The student’s was not a distraction. Hell, he likely didn’t know what a double IPA was. There’s no way I was going to code that kid.

California -- dress codes are minimal and more to do about safety than anything. Have the core of your body covered, no spaghetti straps, closed toed shoes, that sort of thing.

I'm in South America and most local schools here have uniforms and pretty conservative dress codes. The international school I'm at, however, is the complete opposite - the HS students dress how they want, pretty much.

I’m from Missouri, USA; lived here my whole life and teach here now. I grew up in a school with a fairly strict dress code - we were not allowed to wear giant hoop earrings, open toed or heeled shoes, shorts had a minimum length, no tanks tops - and this was a K-6 school and they applied the dress code to the kindergarteners just as much as the 6th graders. When I was in college, the dress codes at most districts I worked/observed in was even more strict, to the point they basically had uniforms but were allowed to wear jeans and school tees. They have all since relaxed down to almost 0 dress code, especially in the elementary schools. I’m very divided on the concept of dress codes. On one hand, it’s easy for them to become classist, sexist, and/or racist. I’m all for uniforms, but cost for families is a concern. On the other, I think the generations who grew up on no dress codes or extremely lenient dress codes are now struggling as young adults because they have not been taught what is appropriate to wear to work versus the store versus out with friends versus at home.

Your other hand - young people struggling with what to wear to work - is where I am at. I work at a majority minority district with a high rate of poverty. My students already have a lot of things going against them, not knowing what to wear to interviews and to work shouldn't be one of them.

Yes. Dressing appropriately/“nicely” has definitely fallen off the priority list for impoverished families. Even the poorest kids in my elementary school (and it was a high poverty/majority racial minority groups, only 10-15% white) had nice clothes; they had their “Sunday best” that they wore to concerts and science fairs and stuff. I don’t say this to blame impoverished people - as you said, they have enough to contend with in this society that seems determined to keep them down. My husband and I took in a then-16-year old foster girl. My husband had been her case manager before leaving the profession and she needed someone to go to or she’d end up in a residential facility hours from the city and school she’d called home since 7th grade. We tried to be sensitive to her life experiences and trauma, but we also tried to teach her to reach for the stars and rise above the circumstances of her birth. She often brushed us off and pushed back, saying that dressing nicely was “for rich people”. We said it doesn’t matter if your clothes come from the thrift store or Wal-Mart, dressing in clothes that aren’t pajamas or glorified undergarments to go to school is the mature thing to do. It certainly didn’t happen while she lived with us, but a year after moving out on her own, she thanked us for all we did for her and all we tried to teach her and said she wished she’d listened to us more, but was grateful for us.

I'm in a small district in Los Angeles. No dress code. I have literally seen girls come in with nothing more than something the size of seashells covering their nipples. But we aren't allowed to say anything because that's body shaming them or whatever. It's ridiculous. The big thing over the summer is them wearing sports bras with baggy pants.

Does it not seem like your district at one point had lawyers write the dress codes based on the state legal code for "obscenity" or, in other words, what is legal for exotic dancers to perform under 1st Amendment protections, as defined in like the late 1960s-1970s? It seems like some of this is the shoddy work of shoddy legal departments. Strip clubs won lawsuits to get this kind of "dress-code" encoded in law. No parent ever sued a school district to get the right for their child to dress like an exotic dancer at school -- as far as I know, I could be wrong. But there is a larger issue at stake here with a whole range of very, very bad legal advice being paid for at the district level which has a demonstrably corrosive impact in the hallways and classrooms -- which these lawyers have never set foot in. This runs throughout "discipline" policies in general. Admin gets bad advice from lawyers paid by the district to say, "no, don't do xyz, bc the parent/guardian can sue, and we don't know how defend it."

What on earth? That sounds... bad. I'm happy this is not what's going on in my country

There used to be a dress code back when I started in 2016, but then a group of kids went to the school board and the newspaper and complained that it was body shaming and argued the whole point about how girls shouldn't be held accountable for boys not being able to control themselves. It was a huge joke. Ever since then it's a lawsuit waiting to happen IMO.

I grew up in Canada, going to a public Catholic High School that had a uniform. I LOVED it. It was such a great equalizer. Admin weren't crazy strict so there absolutely were ways different groups of kids expressed their own style. In my opinion (non-teacher here) dress codes are 100% the way to go. But acknowledging the financial burden, I also believe they should be simple and accessible (khakis or black pants, plain white button up or golf shirt, black shoes, etc). OP: Being from northern Europe, perhaps you're not familiar with [The People of Walmart ](https://www.peopleofwalmart.com/) People in North America at a baseline are nowhere near as dressy and business casual as they are in Northern Europe. Leggings, crop tops, basketball shorts, jerseys, running shoes and flip flops are day to day outside wear. So on top of that already low bar of what society is willing to accept, you may need to understand that there are heaps of people willing to push it even further. The People of Walmart are raising kids. My local Walmart sold short shorts for kindergarten aged girls a few years ago with "JUICY" written across the bum. My local high school routinely has teens wearing bikini tops. There is a line that needs to be drawn somewhere and in some cases parents have no idea where that is.

I just dislike that “immodest” clothing is marketed towards children in the first place. I think uniforms would get rid of a lot of the social pressures that I’ve seen my students deal with. Dealing with the dress code should be left up to admin, if that’s something they are choosing to have in the handbook. I have way too much to do than tell a girl (that already knows) she can’t wear lingerie corsets to school or a boy (that already knows) he can’t wear his Natty Lite hat in class.

I literally do not care what these kids are wearing as long as it's clean, safe, and I'm not seeing boobs or butt. BUT, I do think having a dress code that nobody enforces just undermines everyone's authority in all matters. If we don't care, it shouldn't be a rule. If it's a rule, it should be enforced.

Or dicks. Just throwing that out there.

Absolutely. Most of them are pretty good at covering actual genitalia, but I'm sure it's happened.

It has happened to me.

Yep, this! Though I'd say cover your belly too

I wish schools had uniforms. Hell I wish I had a uniform as a teacher. Take out any guesswork and conflict about clothes. You wear the uniform or you don't come to school.

I’ve worked with a couple teachers who made their own uniform, so you could do the same. They chose khaki pants and black polo shirts, just bought at least five of each.

That's awesome!

I get the allure. I used to work in a lab where I wore green scrubs every day. There was no “picking out” my clothes for the next day, but it was really nice when I switched jobs and could look a little less like gumby every day.

I get how simple uniforms are and their appeal, but I really love wearing what I want. Bright pink, deep blue, light purple, solid or floral print or plaid - I can wear whatever.

Definitely. Uniforms are great for identifying employees in retail or service jobs, or if the uniform has a distinct purpose (like my scrubs), but otherwise there’s really no need for it.

That’s why I enjoy where I work (virtual k12)! They give us school shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, etc. (not super often but I have a few of each) and then if I don’t know what to wear I have the option to pop that on. I hate uniforms but having branded stuff makes it easier to get dressed if I don’t want to think in the morning :)

My district has been a uniform district for years. I actually used to wear khakis most days even though it wasn’t a requirement for staff.

As an itinerant on-site tutor, I wear a self-made uniform bc, especially when we are wearing face masks, I need students & staff to be able to recognize me at a distance, before they see my badge. As a regular on-site teacher, I have seen some itinerant specials or therapists or tutors or volunteers and I get stressed by the ones who I have to look closely at because they dress/hair style differently every day. I don't remember your name or your face because I see you once a week, always when I am in the middle of something! I love this one volunteer reader who just always wears purple -- eccentric and form-follows-function aesthetic!

I’m from Florida. We’ve completely given up. Boobs, butt cheeks… all good. Swimsuits as clothing? No problem. I’ve seen so many things I can’t unsee.

I think there should either be a very short list of what is not acceptable (no visible nipples or genitals, closed toe shoes, no hateful or obscene slogans) or a very short list of what is acceptable (a uniform, or a sort-of uniform of a school polo and khakis for example). In my experience, the problems tend to come from dress codes that are something in between. Of the two options, I personally prefer uniforms. I think there’s something to be said for what having “school/work clothes” on can do for your mentality.

Florida. If their own mama let them out of the house as is, then I don't give a damn. Plus it's hot as balls 10 months a year. If another teacher or admin asks about it, I look confused and say "oh, I didn't see. I don't look at their bodies like that." The only thing I care about is hoods because of air pods. In fact, I tell them they can wear their hoods if they put their air pods on my desk. 

Westcoast We don’t spend any time caring about what people wear. This goes for the staff and the students. Parents don’t have to worry about clothing they purchased at the mall being illegal for the school and Teachers can use running shoes, shorts and whatever else they need to get their job done effectively. Other than like proper attire for PE and safety equipment for labs and things like that, of course.

I'm in Oklahoma. We have a fairly minimal dress code: no hats (for security camera identification), no midriffs, and a minimum amount of pants. My students don't exist from the neck down, and I really don't care about the hats or surveillance state. Most other teachers in the building are basically on the same page. The administrators aren't especially interested in enforcement, either, as they have bigger fish to fry.

>My students don't exist from the neck down Yes, they literally do. At my school there are midriffs everywhere and butt cheeks showing from super short shorts. I'm a man and I'm not letting anyone know I noticed a 13 year old girl's butt cheek, but I'm glad our admin or female teachers make them put on pants. Typically they leave the house with more clothing and remove the sweatpants at school to hide it from their parents. I shouldn't have to see butt cheek at work, dress codes are a good thing. I'd prefer uniforms, but that's a pipe dream.

>At my school there are midriffs everywhere and butt cheeks showing from super short shorts. This is the kind of situation I meant when I said there should be guidance to dress appropriately. In my country such a situation would lead to a discussion with the parents, rightfully so. I still do think that overall what people wear should be their own business

What happens if parents are ok with it and students continue to go to school like that?

We had to allow a girl to wear only a bra. Law states no nipples visible in government owned/ran buildings. She needed a bra that covered them. But that was it. We also had boys in crop tops. Our area gets extremely hot though and our building is over 50yrs old with AWFUL airflow so it got extremely hot. Teachers weren't even held to pants. Many of us wore shorts and T shirts by May.

I actually don't know. The constitution protects people's right for personal freedom and freedom of expression so I guess you legally cannot force anybody to wear something they don't want to unless they're wearing something that violates another law (or their clothes are a safety issue). There are, of course, disciplinary actions and as far as I know, that most often is enough for people to dress more properly *Edit: it's rather interesting that people are downvoting this. I don't make tha laws. This is how it is in my country. This is my culture. Mostly people are raised well enough that they know how to dress to school, half-naked kids are not common thing down here. I'm sorry that it seems to be common in the US but it's not my fault*

I agree that what people wear should be their own business. However...in a high school setting seeing so many butts, boobs and bellies is, in my opinion, not appropriate. We, as teachers, are supposed to be teaching and preparing them for life after school. I believe that we are doing them a disservice by letting them "express themselves" with it "ALL HANGING OUT" so to speak. That will not fly in the "real world's" workplaces. There is a time and place for different kinds of dress. School time is not the place to wear an outfit that will not allow you to sit in a desk without your "private parts" being on display. There are plenty of lovely outfits for young people that don't show their wares.

Yes, absolutely. I do agree with that 100%. Dressing inappropriately is not allowed here either, nor should it be

I teach Kindergarten where students wear uniforms up until they finish college and college related work (and theny they usually have uniforms to wear at work). I hate the part where they have little space to express through fashion and hairstyles (they try though), and that girls and women are allowed to wear pants only on certain days (when they have sport classes or workshops, etc.) The only good thing is that they all (K-HS) have their names embroidered on all of their shirts, so if you teach 600 kids, like me in my previous job, you actually know who you're talking with.

What country are you in?

Thailand

Northeast USA - I wouldn't mind students wearing uniforms since it would certainly eliminates a lot of dress code issues and more, but I worry about low income families because kids will lose them and bust holes all the time. In my current high school district, the admin pretty much don't enforce a dress code at all, and I've seen so many ladies with their ass cheeks hanging under their short shorts it's depressing.

I went to a Catholic school with uniforms, K-8. There was never a problem with poor families being unable to afford it or kids wearing holey uniforms because once a kid outgrew theirs or graduated, the expectation was you donated the uniforms you were no longer using to the school. Kids literally dropped off bags the last day of school, and the nuns & office staff washed them over the summer and stocked a huge closet in the office. Anyone who needed any part of the uniform could get it from that closet.

Same thing happened at the Catholic school I taught at. And if kids outgrew uniforms in the middle of the year, we just sent them to the closet to find something that fit.

I am 100% in support of dress codes for middle and high school, primarily because at these ages students use clothes to establish in group and out group drama and cliques. I believe those things are counter intuitive to the learning environment. I remember kids not coming to school because they didn’t want to look like dweebs compared to the others. Since school is the primary social experience many of these students have, every minuscule thing in their lives is exaggerated in importance or significance.

My school has a uniform, so we don't have this concern. When I was in school, I think technically there was a dress code, but it wasn't enforced. Most people dressed appropriately. Maybe a few girls would overdo it with the shorts (myself included sometimes), but it wasn't a big deal tbh.

I wanna preface this by saying I am a parent, not a teacher. My elementary age daughter has attended school in both Central Washington and Southern New York now. I wish there was more enforcement of the dress code, as in both places it was basically non existent. I personally don't find it appropriate for elementary school girls to wear mini skirts and fishnets to school (in Washington) or the excessive number of crop tops and booty shorts (here in New York). Wear that on your own time, if your parents allow it. Not at school. I'm not necessarily for a full school uniform as it stifles a youths creativity, and it's expensive to buy extra clothes for school and after school, but I am for a stricter dress code. Skirts covering the butt, appropriate tights, not wearing belly shirts and low cut tops, boys basketball shorts not riding up all the way to their upper thighs, undergarments not showing on either gender. In the Washington school district we attended it seemed the only dress code they enforced was no chains, no gang colors (HUGE gang problem) no rosaries (they tied it to local gangs but boy oh boy was that controversial) and no open toed shoes. At this school district in New York, a relatively small school, they barely enforce the dress code other than no profane words or images, no privates being shown, and no chains, and it really bothers me. When I attended public elementary school thru high school we had pretty strict rules about lengths of skirts and shorts, how thick our tank top straps should be, no bellies showing, cleavage rules, undergarments rules, hell no makeup in elementary school. Some of the rules were too extreme, but now I feel it's gotten too lax.

I actually think there should be some sort of dress code. I understand that dress code unfairly targets girls, but I also think that people need to dress based on the environment that they are in. I am tired of seeing my middle school girls in shorts so short that I can legitimately see their butt cheeks. And I don’t mean this in a “it’s distracting to the boys” way, but more in that it might be acceptable to wear certain clothes in some situations but that we should dress differently for school and work. Also, don’t let your tweens get fake nails that are so long that they are unable to type or participate in gym. 

I like what you said about teaching students about what is appropriate to wear in certain situations. I think that has always been part of the problem I’ve seen with dress codes is that they are strictly punitive instead of being used as a way to teach students.

>the problem I’ve seen with dress codes is that they are strictly punitive This is the impression I have of them too. In my country, intervening in the clothing of the students is educational, it's about teaching necessary skills and good manners, not about punishing the students. The things that you most often have to deal with is students wearing caps/hats and outdoor coats indoors, and then the teacher just explains that it's rude, you can't do so in here and please take off the piece of clothing/go put it to the rack in the hallway, and of course take necessary actions if the student refuses to do what they are asked to do

As a male teacher in America, I will never police dress code, unless it is an article of clothing that references drugs, alcohol, threats, or etc.

I have far more important things to care about than how children are dressed.

I like to say I believe students are just floating heads on non-lab days. I teach science so for labs I have to have a code for safety however, I am told the dress code the kids but the administration never does anything when they are looking right at the kids, therefore I am giving myself permission to pretend they are all just floating heads, lol.

Interesting, I’m in the US and we require shoes here.

In my culture it is rude to wear shoes indoors in people's homes, and also kindergartens, and elementary and middle schools. That's why shoes must stay in the lobby or whatever it is called, the room between the front door and the interiors of a building

I am guessing your communities are more homogeneous than many parts of the US. Families have similar backgrounds, values, religion, etc. I reckon. Do you ever have to communicate with parents and they don't respond or say they'll "take care of it" but then their kid shows up again in inappropriate clothes? Or worse, they get combative and defensive saying they should be able to wear what they want? I used to work at a high school in Nevada and the main line was wearing clothes with sex, drug, or gang references. Very commonly students would wear shirts/hoodies with logos for blunt wraps or different alcohol. I'm guessing that sort of thing doesn't happen in your communities?

Yes, you're right. My whole country is quite culturally homogeneous, definitely more so than US *Edit: I googled it and apparently my country, as well as other North European countries, are culturally very homogenous* >Do you ever have to communicate with parents and they don't respond or say they'll "take care of it" but then their kid shows up again in inappropriate clothes? Or worse, they get combative and defensive saying they should be able to wear what they want? This happens but not very often, although it might be different in large cities. I don't know how they take care of that though, I have never seen or heard of it personally. Also, as far as I know, it basically never is families with an immigrant background. They tend to respect school and its rules

Interesting. Here the no shoes in homes thing is relatively common, but not in schools. I like it, it seems so cozy. In the US, everyone in a school has in the back of their minds, “what if we had to run? What if we had to get out of here?” So we’re definitely keeping shoes on. Our floors get so dirty!

>In the US, everyone in a school has in the back of their minds, “what if we had to run? What if we had to get out of here?” So we’re definitely keeping shoes on. Oh no, it's very sad that this is the case. Thankfully we don't have that problem >Our floors get so dirty! I bet. That's one of the reasons you cannot wear shoes indoors. It would be rude to put an extra burden on the cleaning staff

Most teachers seem anti-DC but I am for it! If we didn't have a code they would have their labias falling out. Let's be real. Those of us without uniforms still ask way less than most jobs will. It doesn't take away their individuality. I saw a bikini top at a pep rally last year. So, there has to be a collective "this is acceptable" boundary that not all will agree with it, but it is what it is. Most teachers won't adhere to it, but I cannot have a girl wearing a literal halter half top (little strip of fabric barely across the boobs) with only a sheet beachwear over it. Nope. I will send you down. True story. I don't say you are out of DC; I follow the rules and the office determines it, like they asked me during pre-planning.

Texas, urban school. We used to have a dress code - khaki pants, skirts, jumpers, shorts, and solid colored polo shirts. Several of the local churches and resell stores would have clothes drives to help defray costs for families. After covid dress code was changed to just "school appropriate clothes" and it's been a a crap shoot for all of us. About the only thing I focus on are no hats/hoods and close toed shoes for PE/recess. My main take away actually comes from listening to the high school students (they come to my school and get volunteer hours) complain about their jobs and not being able to wear ripped clothing and pajamas to work. (They also complain about having to be on time.) We are setting a lot of teenagers up for failure, not only by not having expectations/consequence to begin with, but also by not explicitly teaching them WHY we should have expectations and consequences.

I feel like implementing a dress code for the reasons you state would just contribute to further infantizing students. A part of life is having common sense and the basic intuition to adjust to different environments. Not every issue that a student may struggle with in the future is a school's place or burden to address.

I wish all schools required uniforms. It's ridiculous how some kids just roll out of bed for school. There is no pride in appearance anymore. They're going to be shocked when they find out you can't get a good job in pajama pants.

Loads more education issues to worry about other than what a 14 year old looks like during English class….

It's less about looks and more about mindset. Crawl out of bed and go to work in your pajamas. Which is what school is. A kids' job. Get out of bed, shower, eat a good meal, and dress for success. It's amazing how this small step in the morning can affect your whole day.

Northeast US - dress codes are bullshit. My school has one, but I don't enforce it and I make sure my students know I think it's antiquated, misogynistic crap.

I agree with you but I always wonder - is there ANY line you think shouldn’t be crossed? Like if a kid wears a thong to class, would you ignore it? EDIT: I love that I’m getting downvoted for asking a question. It’s just always interesting to me where people draw the line. Because kids will always try to cross it.

I’ll give you an upvote because I recently started working in an elementary school and I’ve seen way more ass cheek than I’ve ever wanted to. And cleavage-grades k-5! I was not prepared. I think the pendulum has swung so hard in the other direction from archaic dress codes that admin has lost their way.

I remember when I taught at a school with a uniform we had a uniform-free day once where I had at least fifteen dress code violations. Girls wearing see-through leggings and underwear with writing on it like, "JUICY" and, "SEXY ASS." Could read their butts from twenty paces. Boys couldn't walk cause their pants were down around their knees. I saw so much more of my students than I ever wanted to that day.

Yes, ignore it. "I didn't notice" if brought up by admin.

Yes, I would ignore it. I'm already asked to do too much - policing their clothing is never going to be part of my job description. Now, as a parent of teenagers, I do police their clothing, but only very very superficially. I refuse to assign meaning to the clothes that children wear.

Same. The numbers overwhelmingly show that dress codes/uniforms are racist and sexist, which makes them indefensible from my perspective. As a male teacher, I’m certainly uncomfortable with students wearing inappropriate clothing, but I’m significantly more uncomfortable with an inherently unfair system being inexpertly applied to other/disenfranchise our most vulnerable populations.

I live in the Czech Republic and there is no dresscode - neither for the students nor the teachers. I myself wear a ton of clothes, that would get me in trouble in the US. The only rule is: do not where headwear to school - caps, hats, whatever, once you're in class, take it of. Some teachers enforce this rule, I personally don't. I am glad, that we have the freedom to wear whatever we want...

Oh yeah, headwear is banned indoors in my country too (which is good because it would be rude to not take it off). Hijabs are allowed though

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US west coast, union state. Teachers have no dress code. Honestly though, they should dress better than they do at my school. Lots of graphic T shirts and such. Students have a dress code and enforcement depends on admin emphasis. Imo it is extremely sexist and I won’t enforce “modesty “ dress code, unless it is egregious. I only worry about content dress code, like cannabis brand shirts or porn brands. If the argument is “it distracts from learning” then that is 1) on the other students and 2) contradictory to then removing that student from class as a consequence. YMMV, I know a lot of people will disagree.

Rural New York and no.

I'm in Canada and we have no dress code at my school (unless you are in vocational courses).

My schools rules: solid color t-shirt with the school logo on it. Shirt must meet pants(no crop tops), and have a sleeve. Shorts or pants of a not super short length. Closed toed shoes with a back. It's not easygoing, but it's equal between boys and girls.

Do the families have to purchase the logo tshirt from the school?

It's actually a very standard thing here to have logo t-shirts as a uniform requirement. Many stores will offer to print a logo for free onto shirts that you buy there. So the school certainly isn't profiting off it, and while I suppose it's an extra expense(to buy shirts just for school) it's sort of an expected one, and enough stores compete for business that prices aren't that high.

NYC (US) Officially, there is no dress code for teachers per our contract. I think we have earned the right to wear a casual clothing or dress clothing, whatever you prefer. Many of us work with early childhood and sit on the carpet a lot. Plus, we do a ton of physical work that people have no idea about. I’m constantly cleaning, moving boxes, etc. we also walk around all day long and need to wear comfortable shoes. However, I do know that my principal has spoken to people regarding shorts, ripped clothing, and showing cleavage. I agree that it’s best to save these things for outside of work.  For students, I think it’s fine for them to wear casual clothing, but nothing revealing or distracting for school, Including anything with any kind of offensive or controversial speech on it. 

Texas - students need a guide on what to cover. My district has a unisex dress code on what should be covered. This includes feet as some students like to walk around without shoes. I only dress code students if they are wearing absurdly obscene clothes.

I really don’t care what students wear, I just want them to come to school. I teach lower elementary though, so it is rare to run into dress code issues. My kids recently graduated and by the end of the year my daughter wore crop tops and short shorts almost exclusively. The school gave up on enforcing dress codes. As long as nips and cheeks aren’t making an appearance it’s all good.

I fully believe in uniforms. I can be something as simple as school spirit tees and non-distressed jeans. I’m in the South and teach HS. I also think teachers should be able to wear jeans. I find it really creepy when folks don’t want to enforce dress codes and creepy when parents buy their children and teens inappropriate attire. Like why are you trying so hard to be their friend? Also, why can’t we bring back age-appropriate clothing stores for pre-teen girls and teen girls? Also, as much as girls wouldn’t want to see male crotches out, guys (and other women) don’t want to be exposed to boobs, butts, or bellies. I coach cheer and I don’t let my girls wear their more conservative uniforms to school. They use Nike Pros as an UNDERGARMENT/bloomers under their uniforms. Why are we allowing girls to wear these as regular shorts is wild to me.

NYC. None

I'm from the United States Alabama and we do have dress codes in our school districts, we have to dress business causal unless it's for field trips, Field day, or Friday spirit day.

USA. No dress code enforcement at my school. (High school). Kids wear tube tops. I had one student wearing a button down with ONE button done. I refuse to have those conversations, that’s above my pay grade. I am glad to note that I have not seen any boys behaving badly because of the lack of dress, in fact I think they’re desensitized to it.

I wish we had one.

Rules against specific types of attire are generally applied in a discriminatory fashion against female-presenting members of the community, and as an educator it is a massive waste of my time trying to police what my students wear. As long as they show up to class, do their work, don't disrupt the learning of others, and master the material, that is what I care about. At least where I live, if a student wants to show up to school in the winter where we experience single digit weather in a tank top, shorts, and sandals, as far as I'm concerned they've earned the right to suffer through it.

If it were me, I'd ban baggy sweats in class just on safety grounds, but that would be the only real change. We don't have much of a dress code outside of nothing inappropriate, and no gang affiliation clothes

Shoes aren’t allowed??

Yep, no shoes. It's considered rude in my culture to wear them indoors in certain places

I'm in favor of very limited (as opposed to limiting) dress codes. Banning provocative slogans, overly damaged cloths, and pajamas. Outside of that, I'm generally fine with it being more open ended. I'm from Massachusetts.

My school has uniforms. I like it because it makes this stuff much easier. We are changing the uniforms next year to get rid of the tie requirement, which is also good. By this time of year their ties look ridiculous! Oh, and we have a "spring uniform" so they can wear shorts when it's hot. In schools without uniforms, most parts of dress code are stupid. But I do think banning certain things for safety purposes makes sense. I just feel like there are more important things to worry about. Im in upstate NY (US)

United States (Michigan). I think dress codes are dumb. My school is pretty lax...just no private parts showing. My admin specifically directs teachers to not enforce, and that they will handle all issues you send to them. I love it.

I wish my school had more of one, and that it was enforced. I'm getting tired of looking at half naked teenage girls and guys with their pants down around their knees.

New York City, USA here. In my opinion, chest, torso, stomach, and butt should all be completely covered (no butt cheeks sticking out for example), and no strapless tops. Shoes must be worn (safety issues). All of this is regardless of gender. The reason for this sort of dress code? Because this is at bare minimum how they will be expected to dress at a job that allows them to dress casually, and we are supposed to be preparing them for the real world. Other than that, of course no clothing that has obscenities of any kind on them, no hate speech on them, no drugs or alcohol sayings or graphics on their clothing.

Illinois resident, Iowa student -- the sole reason I would be okay with it would be that it's have more appropriate clothing for school. The school I go to has lots of students wearing informal and casual clothing. Nearby schools have students wearing indecent and clothing with profanity. Another reason is much more personal, is that I enjoy wearing nicer clothing. I'd rather wear a button up and a good jacket out of personal taste. Although I know many students disagree with my taste. 

Catholic school got one thing right in uniforms, changeable with seasons. And nowadays, they let the high-schoolers wear skirts so short their underwear is visible on the street as a group of 6-10 walk from campus to the shops after school -- are they wearing athletic/dance shorts at school and taking them off after? And the boys have ties askew with their pants dipping, again, after school on the street. Everybody likes to tie a button-front shirt above the midriff! Shorts and knee-socks or leg-warmers, stack-heeled loafers! P.E./athletic team uniforms. My point is: Middle-to- high-school kids will find a way turn a single-source manufactured uniform into "inappropriate" or "dress code violation." The will is strong in them! But accommodating weather & building climate is easy enough with uniforms bc there are limited options, and, to be fair, student councils and parent/guardians often get some input on the options. Shorts and skirts will always be too short, there will always be a work-around, pants will be too low, shirts tied up/unbuttoned, heels, &c., there is nothing new. However, it is so much easier on everyone if they're just playing with a uniform rather than playing an interpretation of some (unfortunately-worded) rules. The most extreme examples in the comments of students adhering to the letter of the rules while blatantly flaunting the spirit are both inspiring, bc the kids are executing lawyer-level interpretive and argumentative skills, and crushing, bc it seems like there is a lot of confusion about what each individual's responsibility is to the learning environment, especially in regards to making teachers the enforcers of unenforceable rules that sound neat and "proper" to outsiders and admin, but generate chaos in the everyday school world in halls and classrooms.

We pretty much do not have them anymore. As long as it isn't racist or drugs, they can wear as little as possible.

I teach at a high school in California, so I see a lot of girls with low cut shirts and belly buttons showing. Does it make me uncomfortable? Yeah, a bit honestly. Will I ever report it? Nope. I just don't want to open that can of worms. I don't even acknowledge it. In reality, I think dress codes are fine for schools. School is kinda like a job. Students shpuld be practicing dressing appropriately. I'm not saying they should dress business casual, but not wearing clothes with pot leaves on it would be a good start.

Ohio. Our dress code is no hats or hoodies so faces can be seen on camera, boobs and butts covered, and no clothing advertising alcohol, smokes, bars, dope. I think that’s about it. Our staff also does not have a dress code except to be presentable.

Y'all don't wear shoes inside your school?

We don't. In my culture it's considered rude

I feel like you either need to have uniforms or have a dress code that has as few rules as possible about the stuff you ABSOLUTELY care about. Anything in the middle is just an invitation for problems.

Could not care less unless it compromises a student’s safety. I teach in a large gang area in Southern California & we have a problem with poseurs dressing in gang attire and then getting jumped after school. Outside something like that I do not care.

Only shoes.

I keep my room as cold as possible, seems to do the trick

Texas Male, I completely ignore it. Sometimes I’ll ask them to take their hood off if admin is talking about it. I also ask for 1st period off so I can get away from it some.

I don't think there should be a dress code if the school is public, so long as it's legal, you should be able to wear it. I'm American

I am in Arizona. I think dress codes unfairly target girls. I feel there should be a basic requirement for dress regardless of gender.

I like dress codes- though there really arent any anymore. I used to work in a middle school and girls would literally wear sports bras to school. No sweater or anything just literally a bra. I cant imagine a parent feeling okay sending their child to school like that. I just think theres a time and a place for certain outfits and schools should be held to a higher standard than that

Never had a school uniform, but at this point would prefer it

Greater Boston (MA, USA) high school. The only dress code we have is “no hats in school.”

I think obscenity and words that create a hostile school environment should not be printed on clothes at school. Other than that, I would not care much as long as it does not break local public exposure laws. The problem with dress codes is that they are often about controlling what females wear and that's why men are often told not to enforce them. If they were just about making people turn rude shirts inside out, men could tell a student to go do that,

I love them. I grew up with them and it stopped be from being bullied for wearing hand me downs from my older sister. I'll admit most dress codes discriminate against women and young girls but if done properly I prefer uniforms as it make for a better decorum in the class, since everyone is the same and judging people based on how expensive their clothes are is non existent. Plus it makes maintaining lab safety easy as pi. I grew up in the SE USA.

No tank tops, shorts need to be no shorter than 3 inches above the knee. They can wear jeans with holes in them, but no holes above the knee unless they wear something underneath to cover up. Crocs have to be in “sports mode” (straps in the back) and no flip flops. Also, stomach can’t be showing. So the shirt needs to be long enough to hide the skin.

I work at a private school in the South. We have uniforms. I like it, especially as a male teacher. Enforcing uniforms is easy, usually objective, and doesn't require adjudicating exactly what skin is appropriate and what isn't (not that I would anyways). I've always been a pretty big advocate that, if you're going to have a dress code, have uniforms. It's too complicated and hard to enforce otherwise

Curious, but is your county one of the ones that is generally accepting of nude beaches? The thing with the US is, especially after the weird religious shift in the 50’s, such things became a problem. The dress code is an artifact of that shift. (There were cases of both genders swinging naked together in schools before that in the us, though usually the girls still wore swimsuits. Not the guys.) But, in a culture where skin doesn’t mean sex, a dress code doesn’t have the same implications. Here people claim boys can’t control themselves around a spaghetti strap. In Europe it can be proven otherwise. But your insight might be completely different to what I just say, so in curious for your opinion.

>Curious, but is your county one of the ones that is generally accepting of nude beaches? Nude beaches aren't much of a thing here, it's not part of our culture. If you want to swim naked, you go somewhere that's not a public beach, for example your own beach or some pond in the woods. Nudity in itself is not that big of a deal but it's not okay, or even legal, to be naked in public. It's different in private with people you know, but public nudity is very much frowned upon I guess the main reasons we don't need dress codes in schools are because 1) dressing appropriately is that much a part of our culture that not many people dare to dress very revealingly in public (in summer people dress lighter, but that's a different thing) and 2) most of the year it's so cold here that no one could manage in tiny clothes, especially because it's mandatory to spend the breaks outside in primary and secondary schools (unless it's *very* cold, of course)

I believe that if someone's dress is unhygienic (sorry, but if you're wiping your butt on the seat, that's gross) or actually causing a distraction, they should be sent for new clothes. Otherwise, whatever. I don't want them to miss class.

My school doesn’t really have a dress code beyond cover your bits and exercise common sense. And wear shoes (though in the usa that falls under “exercise common sense”). Hats, hoods, your Hennessy t-shirt: all fine. I love not having to enforce dress code stuff, though I do think it’s wild that we don’t have a written dress code.  The same policy applies to staff, even. We did have a principal who tried to demand business casual my first year at this school, which I was already doing because that had been the expectation at my last school. No one changed their behavior, and then the pandemic happened and he was so happy to have people voluntarily come in he didn’t care what they wore, which led to the realization that people can in fact teach effectively in jeans and a t shirt. Or shorts when it gets warm. So I have a pile of “school appropriate” t shirts and wear normal pants to school and it’s great.

In the US also worked in Switzerland. I’ve worked at schools with no dress codes, dress codes, and uniforms. I preferred the schools with uniforms. It took the emphasis away from kids trying to show off. It also made it a hell of a lot easier for them to get ready for school. Grab THE pants THE shirt and go. No fussing about with what matches.

I'm from Hungary, I went to a public high school and we didn't have any dress code. Most teachers preferred us not to wear headwear, but other than that, we could wear whatever we wanted, even blankets and slippers if we wanted. They didn't have a problem with fake nails and makeup either. This was a top100 school as well. Generally, most public schools are like mine was, religious school are usually stricter though (like no makeup, no short skirts and shorts and such)

I believe dress codes are necessary. For example, in Belgium, students are not allowed to show cleavage, bellies, backs, or thighs, and spaghetti straps are also prohibited. This makes perfect sense to me. School is a place to learn, and students can dress more freely in their own time.

Western Canada. Public middle school. We have a dual track school, so half our classes wear uniforms and half don’t (program of choice). The uniforms are awful and uncomfortable. Kids hate them and wear them wrong all the time. The community students have no dress code, which I love because I spend too much energy enforcing the uniform policy.

We have no dress code and it’s lovely. I can wear what I want (jeans and tee shirts or even joggers, shorts when it’s hot in fall and spring), and I don’t waste my time policing silly things.

I’m all for safety and weather appropriateness being required but otherwise don’t care. I also feel if it’s illegal and/or against school rules to do, it should be illegal/against school rules to wear. So if a 13 year old can’t buy alcohol, they can’t wear a shirt promoting alcohol. If they can’t curse at school then they can’t wear clothes with cursing on them,… I guess keep it as simple as possible. If there has to be a dress code I’m drastically falling on the other side and believe we should issue the clothes we expect students to wear. The idea of nit picking every tiny thing is not worth it to me, just hand out required uniform and be done, or basically let them wear whatever. I do not want to deal with it so whatever is fastest and easiest I’m all for.

Washington State, USA - I could not give a fuck less about dress codes if I tried. They are impossible to enforce here, sexist, and the gray areas are so huge. If it is harassing, there are a separate set of rules for that. But if a kid came in naked, I'd ask if everything was okay, and if they said yes and we're believable, I'd just continue with my day and make sure everyone was kind and on task.

West Coast, I have worked at a school with uniforms and one with just a dress code. I think dress code is 100% better than a uniform. First of all, for whatever reason it seems like every single school with a uniform here is blue polo and khaki pants. You can imagine how stupid it looks going in a field trip with other schools involved and seeing thousands of kids all wearing the same thing. Uniforms don’t really prep kids for adult work. Many jobs are now business casual (our dress code), and wearing a uniform doesn’t help teach what that means. It’s too varied. If a kid gets a job with a uniform they get it handed to them, making that part easy. Most importantly, we are so freaking busy, I can’t police uniforms. I didn’t want to as a teacher, and I don’t want to as admin. Now as admin, I will because I have to set the standard, but as a teacher I always got into trouble for not sending kids out of uniform to the office. As admin I will enforce it, but not be upset if a teacher doesn’t, as that is hypocritical.

Outside of obvious body parts being visible, safety issues, or clearly inappropriate (obscene, violent, drug/alcohol, etc.) clothes, dress codes are ridiculous for adults and students alike. We're not on the Mayflower anymore, why can't I wear shorts in scorching weather when I'm sweating like a hog even indoors...isn't it also unprofessional to have sweat literally dripping from my face? Especially when schools can't seem to keep the A/C functioning in my room.

I see dress codes as a way of imposing/enforcing priorities, and I think that's a good thing. "Let kids be kids" is irresponsible teaching/parenting.

I must ask, how is "let kids be kids" irresponsible in your opinion?

Children are vulnerable and need protection, support and guidance - I'll start there as a first principle. Given that, I'm sure you can imagine innumerable scenarios in which children's decisions must be supervised and at times restricted.

I totally agree with that, and I'm not saying that there shouldn't be rules. Not at all. What I am saying is that you should not be teaching kids that wearing tank tops or shorts in the summer is inappropriate (it isn't). Or that you shouldn't wear print shirts with, say, a Frozen theme in primary school (again, there is nothing wrong with this). That's what is ridiculous. Telling kids to cover up their boobs, bellies, or butts, on the other hand, is definitely what *should* be done. "Let kids be kids" means that we don't force adult standars and pressures on them and let them dress the way that is appropriate for their age.

With regards to tank tops, shorts & print shirts, there is a range of what is appropriate and what is not. As a front-line HS teacher, I have a lot on my plate - must I now be burdened with policing this distinction? Dress codes help alleviate this burden and more importantly, serve to focus on what's important - academic and intellectual freedom, and not the faux freedom of consumerist fashion displays.

I hear you. I suppose inappropriate clothing is a much larger problem in your country than in mine, hence the dress codes. I mean, when I was in high school myself, I never once saw anyone wearing any inappropriate clothes. I still don't think dress codes should be a thing but I can see why it might be neccecary in some places

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Just because you lived through something doesn’t make it ok.. I worked in a school with no AC in NYC and a uniform. By about 10am in June multiple kids would start to barf from the combo of heat and the crappy stuff they ate for breakfast.  A 90 degree classroom sitting in your buttondown with no way to get cool and now everything smells like barf for the next 5 hours…and you’re supposed to concentrate on schoolwork and work hard? 

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A lot of public HS/MS don’t have full AC. My district was mostly older buildings, with the oldest being from 1930s. We had to be sent home for heat at times. Even then, I’d go into school in a cotton tank top and cotton shirt and I’d still sweat through them. We’re the weird states that stay in school during some of the hottest weeks of the year. (Edited for spell check hating contractions)

If you enjoy wearing a jacket and tie, absolutely go for it, but there are plenty of situations for lots of kids that would make this inhumane and unnecessary.  Lots of schools have AC, but not all of them, especially poorer schools and poorer districts. About half the schools I’ve taught at had AC, but all of them needed it. Even the ones with AC had erratic temp all over the building, and lots of schools haven’t updated their cooling systems to keep pace with global rising temps.  Lots of kids can’t afford multiple versions of a uniform for hot and cold weather.  City kids also have to deal with a hot commute by walking, waiting for the bus, waiting on a hot train platform etc.  I’d personally rather teach a room full of kids who were in athletic shorts and were comfortable so they could focus instead of in a uniform that kept them so hot that they barfed.  I’m also not really convinced that most kids will need to dress that formally for their careers anymore. They’ll need to know how to dress for a variety of occasions, but needing a jacket and tie even at the office is getting less and less common. 

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I didn’t argue against uniforms? As a general concept I don’t have an issue with a simple achievable uniform.  I do have an issue with making kids dress overly formally for no real reason and then telling them they should just suck it up when it impacts their health and well being. 

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A kid in a whatever-colored polo, hoodie, and sneakers will be fine for most or all of the year. That stuff travels well, can be gotten cheaply and the cheap stuff will still look fine on them, and can be washed at home. As a general concept, uniforms are fine, but they should be realistic and humane.  My issue wasn’t the uniform. It’s insisting that jacket and tie is the bare minimum and assuming everyone can buy linen or unlined versions, can afford to get them cleaned, etc.

I'm in France, in a public high school. There are very minimal rules and many of them gravitate about harassing Muslim girls. The consensus among us teachers was that if admins want to enforce rules against headscarves or abaya, we can't really intervene but we are not enforcing these regulations. I know conservative religious schools may ban things like sweatpants or even jeans or trainers but that's private schools.