By RILEY VUOLA
Staff Writer
Earlier this year, I wrote an article about how VUSD chose not to enforce their dress code. Sadly, last week, a staff member went into every homeroom class and told us that they’re going to be enforcing the dress code once again. They have made some various changes, though. The staff member that came into my homeroom class said that they will now require that our tops have a strap, and that they cover our stomach. They will no longer care if the strap is thin, as long as there is a strap. The staff member also said that there shall be no gang wear or anything inappropriate on our clothing.
The gang related stuff, I can understand why they don’t want that to be at school, but I will never understand why it matters that our whole entire stomach must be covered. This dress code almost always targets women since crop-tops are in style. It shouldn’t matter what a student chooses to wear. They are coming to school to learn, so why should it matter?
Another thing that I was made aware of is that the students are being given inconsistent information. My friends told me that in their homeroom class, the staff member that went in there said that they were completely reverting back to the old dress code. This staff member even said that the “young ladies need to cover up.” This is completely inappropriate to say as a staff member. It seems like the teachers are getting more worked up about what we choose to wear than our fellow peers. If it really was about keeping the other students from being distracted, then why won’t they listen to us when we say that it’s not actually distracting?
Overall, I am disappointed in VUSD for making this change. I thought we were moving in the right direction for inclusivity for everyone, but sadly we just took a massive step back.