What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Georgia
I'm a middle school teacher in Georgia and have some concerns over whether or not our dress code is being enforced legally, without gender iscrimination. In our handbook, it states that "all shirttails must be tucked in" and that "pants must be worn at the natural waistline". The problem is many teachers only write up boys for wearing their shirts untucked. A girl can have the SAME t-shirt on as a boy and the boy would receive a discipline referral but the girl would not. Many boys have a problem keeping their regular length shirts in because they wear their pants lower than their natural waistline (not below their butts though), but many of the girls also wear "hip hugger" jeans that are below their waistline and baby-ts that barely meet the tops of their pants -and show wayyyy too much in the back when they sit down. The boys are written up for this but not the girls. The handbook also states that "girls may wear shirts out if they are a part of a matching set". Many boys outfits are now matching top and bottom sets that are meant to be worn out. Boys are told they must tuck these in though.
I've spoken to my administrator about my discrimination concerns. She said that girls are built differently, so that's why the tucked shirttails and natural waistline rules aren't enforced on them. Many of my male students are overweight and are uncomfortable with the way they look with their shirtails tucked in though.
I believe that we do need some sort of dress code at our school, but I think it should be enforced fairly between the sexes by all of the teachers. God help us if we enforced the dress code differently for different races!
Is our dress code being discriminately enforced or not?
I'm a middle school teacher in Georgia and have some concerns over whether or not our dress code is being enforced legally, without gender iscrimination. In our handbook, it states that "all shirttails must be tucked in" and that "pants must be worn at the natural waistline". The problem is many teachers only write up boys for wearing their shirts untucked. A girl can have the SAME t-shirt on as a boy and the boy would receive a discipline referral but the girl would not. Many boys have a problem keeping their regular length shirts in because they wear their pants lower than their natural waistline (not below their butts though), but many of the girls also wear "hip hugger" jeans that are below their waistline and baby-ts that barely meet the tops of their pants -and show wayyyy too much in the back when they sit down. The boys are written up for this but not the girls. The handbook also states that "girls may wear shirts out if they are a part of a matching set". Many boys outfits are now matching top and bottom sets that are meant to be worn out. Boys are told they must tuck these in though.
I've spoken to my administrator about my discrimination concerns. She said that girls are built differently, so that's why the tucked shirttails and natural waistline rules aren't enforced on them. Many of my male students are overweight and are uncomfortable with the way they look with their shirtails tucked in though.
I believe that we do need some sort of dress code at our school, but I think it should be enforced fairly between the sexes by all of the teachers. God help us if we enforced the dress code differently for different races!
Is our dress code being discriminately enforced or not?