Many schools across the country have dress codes and/or uniforms for their students. In my city, it is mostly for elementary, middle school, and some private school children. Just a few weeks ago, Broward County, Florida made the national news when a school board member addressed the board about issuing dress codes for parents when on the school grounds. This sure raised a ruckus here in South Florida, but if you see what I see on campus — it does raise an eyebrow!
Parents should be role models to their children and especially to tweens, who are struggling to find their own identity, as far as fashion goes and other issues. If we expect them to dress in uniforms and present themselves in a clean-cut manner, shouldn’t we as parents do the same? Now, I’m not going as far as telling parents to wear a dress suit when dropping off or picking up their kids, but there is a limit to what is appropriate and what’s not.
As a former teacher and mother of three, I have witnessed parents walking on school grounds in low cut tops, extremely ripped jeans, very short shorts, curlers in the hair, men without shirts, and even pajamas. Whoa! How does this impact our tweens? Are we becoming two faced? We tell our kids to “do as I say and not as I do.â€
I haven’t heard much since the school board meeting this past April. I think this issue has been placed “on the back burner†for further investigation and ideas on how to implement a parental dress code that is fair. There will be a problem on how to enforce the rules if you see a violator. Who addresses the parent in question? And what is the punishment? You really can’t give parents an after school detention!
Personally, I hope parental dress codes do go to a vote in the community. Maybe it will not become a law, but at least make this issue part of each school’s handbook that students read with their parents and returned signed. Schools can also address this matter at their Parent’s Night meetings. Let’s face it — if our tweens have rules for dressing, so should the parents. How hard is it to set the alarm clock a few minutes earlier each morning in order to dress presentably for the public?
How do you feel about dress codes for parents? Do you have this rule where you live? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.