Texas school sets dress code for parents

[kidzcare]

Thoughts?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-schools-dress-code-for-parents-bans-sagging-pants-pajamas-hair-rollers-and-more/ar-BBWeggj?li=BBnb7Kz

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/houston-high-school-implements-dress-code-for-parents/

The principal is an African American woman who has chosen to straighten her hair (or maybe it's a wig).

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

14 minutes ago, jnemartin said:

I read an interview with the principal who stated that the code was put in place to help foster a "real world" atmosphere in the school - i.e. this is not a place to goof around, going to school is serious and is meant to prepare you for college/workforce/adult responsibilities.

In response to that, I would say that being exposed to a variety of styles, wardrobes, self-expressions, and ethnic or racial standards of beauty IS fostering a "real world" atmosphere. Kids should be exposed to it all, and they can form their own opinions (especially HS-age).

On another note, everyone has pretty much hit the points that resonate with me as wrong about this code, but some of the language seems to directly target black women, and the code does not account for emergencies or enforcement standards. It's problematic at best and racist at worst.

My Dean of Instruction and I just had a discussion about this. He thinks the dress code for parents is inappropriate (he is an African American man who generally wears long sleeve shirts with a bow tie, most days a suit, sometimes a sporty polo on Fridays). He dresses more consistently professionally than 90% of us here. On super dressy occasions, you can usually find this man tying ties for young men who don't have them, and he probably bought an extra supply just in case. He does not think that the way parents dress affects "his learning environment." He also questioned whether he wanted to get the ground-level staff (our secretaries) involved in "dress coding" the parents. Interesting. Very interesting.

[tining, BSN, RN]

I had a teacher come into my office. I thought she was a parent as she was wearing yoga pants and a hooded zip up. Saw her again this morning wearing again, yoga pants. Not professional.

[UrbanHealthRN, BSN, RN]

Most of the families I work with are living at or below the poverty level, so I feel like if we were ever to implement a dress code, we'd probably have to provide appropriate clothes to parents to wear, because I seriously don't know how some of them are going to afford it otherwise.

I'll say, too, that just because a parent's outfit doesn't look that great, doesn't mean they don't care about their child's education or aren't teaching their child the importance of an education. I can think of several parents at my building who look like their laundry is due for a washing and their hair a combing and their teeth a brushing. But that's only because they're putting all their energy and resources into their children, who come to school on time every day, hair bows and gel in hair, clothes matching, shoes new. It's called doing better for the next generation, and kids can see and appreciate that.

As for things like "Media queen" written on shorts, cleavage hanging out, or other obviously inappropriate clothes, that's a slightly different issue to me that involves the sexualization of our children, and I find that very wrong. But a stretched out pair of yoga pants doesn't quite fall in the same category to me. Neither does head wraps and bonnets- don't tell me your (Caucasian) grandmother never wore a bonnet on her head when it was hair washing and setting day and she had to buy a quart of milk at the corner store, because I know mine did. In other cultures, it's even more acceptable as a regular form of haircare. And besides, what do they do about women who wear headscarves for religious reasons?

I guess I'm just in a musing sort of mind today.

[kidzcare]

6 minutes ago, UrbanHealthRN said:

don't tell me your (Caucasian) grandmother never wore a bonnet on her head when it was hair washing and setting day and she had to buy a quart of milk at the corner store, because I know mine did.

She sure did! And I'll bet she was never shamed or made to feel that she was not welcome at the school until her hair was "properly" styled.

Many parents work multiple jobs or overnights and when it's time to be at the school for something, they may just be rolling out of bed. To say that means that they don't care about their child's education is insulting.

There are too many situations to name that may result in a parent arriving to the school in "unproper" attire. There's a new baby in the family, the parent is exhausted from day to day life with kids, the parent has depression and it's a struggle just to take a shower. The list is endless.

[OldDude]

We should use the same dress code as WalMart ?

[BunnyBunnyBSNRN, ASN, BSN]

Okay, cover your eyes, because here comes my ignorance. What is a bonnet? What's the difference between a bonnet and a shower cap?

(if you look up "basic white girl" in the dictionary, you will find my picture - except for the Uggs thing....)

[UrbanHealthRN, BSN, RN]

This looks like what some of our moms wear. Bonnets are usually made of satin or other nice, silky material, because they're meant to protect hair from getting messed up while sleeping with your head on a pillow, or while cleaning your house, etc. If you have rollers in your hair, the bonnet fabric won't catch on the rollers. Shower caps are purely industrial and keep the water out. Bonnets usually aren't waterproof, because they're not meant to be worn in the shower. There could be a cultural piece to this, too, because I feel like a lot of the moms who wear them have moved here from other countries.

[OldDude]

This is like what my Grandmother wore.

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

44 minutes ago, OldDude said:

This is like what my Grandmother wore.

I'm rewatching Little House on the Prairie. (On Amazon Prime).. That's high fashion for all the ladies!

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

Looks like cultural bias to me.

[CampyCamp, RN]

23 hours ago, MHDNURSE said:

We had a family come in to register their kid for school and their little girl who could not have been more than 4 years old had "sexy" in bling across the butt of her ultra short booty shorts ?

ewww