Redressing the Dress Code
The new policy aims to promote inclusivity and equality within the JIS community.
By Cahaya Ratomo
Early this semester, JIS high school students received an email with an unusually exclamative subject line, keenly written in capital letters and with multiple exclamation marks to capture the sender’s delirium. Indeed, it was the email that revealed our new dress code policy, a change that was met with as much anticipation as was displayed in the class council’s exuberant announcement.
After all, most students were thrilled for the chance to wear shorts and sleeveless clothing to school—not to mention the improved faculty responsibilities that now occur during dress enforcement.
The proposition was first introduced during a town hall conference in September 2021, a quarterly event when class council representatives meet to discuss pressing schoolwide concerns.
Considering the previous dress code was “very unfair [and filled with] discriminatory aspects”—as noted by instigator Haan Jun Lee—strategies for its reformation were an immediate topic of conversation.
The new dress code allows students to wear shorts and sleeveless clothing.
Kirana R.
One example of such discrimination, according to Ahmad P., would be sexism.
“When girls [wore sleeveless clothing], they would get dress coded,” he lamented. “But when guys [wore] tank tops, [there was no punishment].”
Although the previous dress code was perceived to be biased towards females, the reformed version aimed to be equally fair to all students, regardless of gender. This was bound to be an ambitious change, one that the student government acted upon immediately to avoid further exclusivity within the JIS community. However, its implementation was not a short affair.
“It was a pretty long process over the course of, I want to say, five to six months,” voiced high school Vice Principal Ryan Burke, who facilitated the execution of the new policy. “[We needed time to work] together to create something that we thought was updated and more appropriate.”
Fortunately, it did just that. Indeed, this newfound inclusivity only enriched the acceptance and diversity of our school—as expressed by Gia K.—no doubt aligning with our school’s mission to become a fair, heterogeneous environment for students.
Most importantly, however, this new dress code policy reminds us that we as students have a powerful voice in our school system and the way it operates—that we, with the right justification and support, can make the necessary changes to enlighten our high school experiences.
Volume 32, Issue 4 - March 1, 2022 - Features - Page 18