School Dress Code Protest

Constitutional violations are far too common in public schools across the country.

Teachers and administrators have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for the students that is conducive to learning. They also have a responsibility to respect each student's individual rights. These two missions are not incompatible. Simply put, students have rights too.

"First Amendment rights, applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment, are available to teachers and students. It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. This has been the unmistakable holding of this Court for almost 50 years."

"The Fourteenth Amendment, as now applied to the States, protects the citizen against the State itself and all of its creatures - Boards of Education not excepted. These have, of course, important, delicate, and highly discretionary functions, but none that they may not perform within the limits of the Bill of Rights. That they are educating the young for citizenship is reason for scrupulous protection of Constitutional freedoms of the individual, if we are not to strangle the free mind at its source and teach youth to discount important principles of our government as mere platitudes."

2007-2008 JMCSS STUDENT DRESS CODE states
Students shall dress in a clean, neat and modest manner so as not to distract or interfere with the operation of the school. Principals of PK-4 schools will work with staff and parents to determine student dress requirements.

GRADES 5-12
Jackson-Madison County School System schools must be environments in which work can be accomplished by adults and students. Staff will dress professionally and students’ dress will fall within the following guidelines in order to create an orderly setting in which teaching and learning can occur without distraction and to help young people prepare for the world of work. Standardized expectations related to student dress will assist our mobile student population and students move from school to school within the district.

This dress code was not a fair vote and there for it should be banished because dress code are not made for public schools anyway. The public schools are starting to get away with it too much over America. If Mrs. Zambito and Mr. Jeffries want a dress code. Then, they should go find theirselves a some private schools. Dress codes are made for private schools. Example, USJ it is a private school, that is why it has a dress code. Plus, the parents of the students at this school pay for their child/children to attend this school. Public schools are free. So, that should mean no dress code what so ever. Now, did JMCSS has never had a dress code. Why get one now?