For as long as teenagers have gone to high school, students and administration have clashed over the issue of dress code. Kids want a say in their own self-expression; administrators want to make sure that clothing is appropriate to the setting and not a distraction to learning. This year, our school’s dress code was altered to be more accommodating for the students of Pelham Memorial High School. The rules became more lenient about clothing that, before, would have gotten you sent to the principal’s office. That is, dress code as it applies to the classroom. But what about the athletic field? Coach Luciana, the school’s athletic director, earlier this year made a statement that affected girls on our athletics teams. He made the call that female athletes could no longer wear sports bras as outerwear to practices. Coach Luciana said, “It is part of the dress code, that’s it.”

Board Policy 7312, outlined in the student handbook, states, “Student(s) shall a) Recognize that extremely brief or revealing garments are not appropriate; b) Ensure that underwear is covered by outer clothing.”

This ruling sparked some frustration from athletes who felt more comfortable practicing in the lighter-weight wear. Some of the more potent complaints came from the cross country team, the cheerleading team and the field hockey team.

One of the main reasons the cheerleading team is opposed to this rule being enforced is that they practice indoors after school, so no one in the building can see what they’re wearing. The temperature, combined with their level of activity, makes it overwhelmingly hot for them.

One of PMHS’ cheerleaders, sophomore Angelina Cicale, said, “We’re in a private space where only our teammates and coaches can see us. When we stunt [perform acrobatics], our shirts can interfere with what we’re doing, which could cause problems and possible injuries. It also gets very hot inside the cafeteria.”
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One area of controversy involves whether it is being enforced across gender lines. For example, during the cross country team’s pre-season, runners can quickly overheat while they are practicing in the hot weather. They run off school grounds, allowing both the guys and girls to take off their tops, but as long as when they get back, they put their shirts back on.

The cross country coach, Mr. Marcotullio, said, “I think it really depends on the situation and the outfits that they’re wearing. You’ll see in cross country races, girls especially, wear pretty revealing outfits, some of them even wear half shirts. So, it’s not unusual to wear pretty revealing clothing when it’s cross country. But, we’re still a high school and are trying to keep as appropriate attire as we can.”

Junior Grace Miske, an athlete that runs for Coach Marcotullio, said, “It shouldn’t be a rule. It doesn’t really matter. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t affect anyone.”

Ms. Clapp, the assistant coach of the field hockey team, brought up some understanding reasons about why this would be a set regulation. She said that the girls have a male coach, and it would be inappropriate that if every time they had to change their pinnies, their sports bras would be exposed.

School dress codes are always going to present controversy. Is it a generational issue? Is it gender-driven? Or, in a society where sexual harassment is, sadly, a staple in the headlines, is it a necessary action to protect the safety and dignity of students? Clearly the teachers, coaches and administration prefer to err on the side of the security of students, even if it might trump the desire to be comfortable.