Recently, the Clark administration has incessantly been checking dress code in classes for students not adhering to the dress standard. Students, specifically girls, caught wearing pants containing any kind of material that may stretch, such as lycra or spandex, are considered out of dress code and are issued a lunch detention or some other form of punishment.

Now, the issue at hand is not the dress code policy, but rather the way it is enforced. If a staff member must walk in every other day to conduct a dress code check, is that not an interruption of educational instruction? Is it more important to know what kind of pants a young woman is wearing instead of what the class is supposed to be learning that day? The staff also fails to acknowledge the dress code violations of male students. If a young man is wearing a striped sweater, are they not violating the dress code as well? What if a male student is wearing pants with outside pockets; why are they overlooked? Why are men not asked to stand up, be scrutinized and asked to hand over their ID when they are out of dress code?

According to some female students, only the ladies have been required to stand in cases of dress code check. Numerous female students at Clark have complained of how uncomfortable it is to be given the elevator eyes by staff members when walking down a hallway, even if they are completely in the appropriate dress standard. Only now, they are asked to stand up in front of the class as the administrator walks by and decides whether or not the pants they are wearing consist of lycra or spandex, and may stretch if pulled at.

The Clark administration says they have tightened the reins on the dress code because of parent complaints regarding inappropriate behavior and language from young men directed towards female students. If so, why are the men not punished for their actions and words? Must the woman always take the blame for what has been said to her? And even if the men are punished, why must the women have to suffer the perpetual eyeing of the staff when coming to school in fitted uniform pants?

Women come in different shapes and sizes, and so it may not be easy for a girl of a round figure to find pants that are loose and comfortable, just as it is difficult for a girl of a more petite physique to find pants that actually fit. Men’s pants are tailored to be loose, just as women’s pants are tailored to be fitted. Asking a young lady to find pants that do not properly fit or hug the body is like asking a young man to wear leggings or tights to school. If the administration is so concerned with students following their conservative dress code policy, they should simply tailor and sell the clothes they want to end the fuss and unnecessary monitoring of dress code in every single class. It disrupts the flow of the class and the instruction of the teacher.

Female students should not be targeted so harshly and unreasonably for being out of dress standard, or simply wearing pants that are tailored to appropriately fit them. Yes, we are here for an education, so why is the administration so concerned about whether or not our pants “snap back” or consist of 2% spandex? There are more important issues at hand than the way our pants are sewn.

Other schools and school districts have to deal with violence, crime and inappropriate behavior; students at Clark should not be scolded for how they dress. The Clark administration needs to reevaluate their dress code policy, or better yet, the way they enforce the dress code.