There is a clearly renewed focus on the dress code this school year. 

The Matrix is a negative reinforcement used as a tool to encourage students to follow the attire guidelines. Once they get up to 25 points, they can no longer participate in after-school activities such as football games or team sports. 

Six weeks into school, it’s clear the dress code is a major problem for many students and staff. 

It is confusing, discriminatory and increases some students’ anxiety.

“I wore athletic shorts, and I knew the minute I stepped into school someone would look at me,” freshman Mylena Villar said. “It was the first day of freshman orientation, and (a staff member was) mad because they could see my bra strap through my shirt, which covered my stomach.”

The dress code targets women, especially those with a curvier body.

“I don’t think that the dress code even applies to men,” junior Evian Curtis said. 

The dress code has made the gap between students and staff more apparent. Instead of education, making students feel safe, and creating a healthy environment for learning, the focus is on whether a shoulder or belly button is in sight.

The preponderance of staff said they believe the dress code helps promote a better learning environment because it removes distractions. I wasn’t able to locate the distractions they referred to – shoulders?  Belly buttons? – and it is clear from student interviews the opposite effect is happening. 

“I just think that when you come to school, modesty is a good thing, and the old saying is leave something to the imagination, and you just don’t need to promote everything out there,” business teacher Kristin Wells said. 

As I finished my last interview, I observed a male teacher telling a student to pull down her shirt because it revealed too much of her stomach. 

She immediately started to apologize, pulled down her shirt, and appeared to be on the verge of tears. She was clearly embarrassed. 

When someone tells you to pull down your shirt or pull up your shorts, it makes you feel insecure and “as if you shouldn’t feel confident in what you choose to wear,” sophomore Stevie Hoppock said. 

Derby is, first and foremost, a school of education. DHS administrators need to create a positive reinforcement that focuses on rewarding students that follow the dress code instead of isolating those who don’t. Or have school-issued uniforms where that isn’t a problem. 

Federal laws are written to make certain that schools do not discriminate in their handbooks. While DHS dress code rules may not be written with discriminatory intent, interviews among students firmly would indicate enforcement appears discriminatory.