Dress code is a policy that regulates what people in a certain community are allowed to wear. Dress codes may be written or unwritten. Many religions have rules about what kinds of clothing are considered appropriate for their members. Companies may have a dress code that determines what employees may wear to work. Certain jobs, such as law enforcement and the military, have strict dress codes that require people who work in those jobs to wear specific uniforms. Most schools use dress codes in an effort to maintain discipline and good manners within the student body.
In the United States, some schools have detailed dress codes. For example, some school districts ban clothing with symbols or words that express crude, violent, or gang-related messages. Many school dress codes also forbid oversized, sagging pants; visible underwear; bare backs and stomachs; and tongue rings and studs. Less-detailed dress codes can also be strict. A school may, for example, require that students wear clothing of only certain solid colors without any images or logos (company names or symbols).
In the United States, school officials need to be careful that dress codes do not restrict a student’s constitutional rights. In particular, a dress code must not deny a student’s right to free speech and the free expression of religion. The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees these rights to citizens.
Parents or other adults sometimes file lawsuits against dress codes on behalf of students. The courts have often upheld a student’s right to wear clothes with political symbols or words on them. However, the messages must not be hateful or vulgar. In addition, courts have often ruled that dress codes cannot prohibit items worn for religious purposes, such as headscarves or jewelry.
