Many school districts in the United States restrict young people’s freedom of expression by making rules around what is acceptable to wear. School dress codes may require students to wear a certain outfit or uniform or may ban specific items, such as hats, jewelry, religious symbols, team jackets, “unnatural” hair colors, items with political messages, or “immodest” clothing. School authorities have argued that certain clothing is inappropriate, disruptive, distracting, or inflammatory, but often with little evidence and always without any input from the students themselves. Students have been humiliated, sent home, forced to change into clothes with “Dress Code Violation” written on them, suspended, or even handcuffed because of dress code violations. At one high school in New York, 200 students were given detention for violating dress codes. Being able to wear what you want is part of a person’s right to freedom of speech, which NYRA believes everyone deserves regardless of age.
