School District Bans Clothing Brands

[The Straight Story]

FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho -- A new enforcement in the Fremont School District's dress code is not sitting well with some parents and students.

Local News 8 received a few e-mails from concerned parents about certain brands of clothing no longer being allowed on campus.

SRH, Metal Militia and TapouT are just a few of the brands your kids may be wearing and have no idea they have any drug connotations.

That's why South Fremont High School administrators said those brands cannot be worn on campus.

"There is nothing drug-related about them," said senior Mitch Moulton.

Principal Larry Bennett said the enforcement is an effort to prepare his students for a successful future.

http://www.localnews8.com/news/26629463/detail.html#

[hobbit709]

1. Say WHAT???

"Principal Larry Bennett said the enforcement is an effort to prepare his students for a successful future."

[xchrom]

2. +1

[sendero]

3. TapouT - drug connotations?

Really? Sounds like hysteria.

[Erose999]

19. Probably more the violence/MMA connections. Its the other brands that have the drug connotations.

[name not needed]

32. If you ban Tapout shirts, it becomes that much more difficult to point out the assholes.

[OneGrassRoot]

4. I want to thank you, The Straight Story....

for posting such interesting, diverse articles. I always look forward to what you have to share.

Much appreciated.

:hi:

[The Straight Story]

9. Thanks back to you :) Du helps me get through the mornings...and nights :)

:beer:

[Silent3]

5. I don't support the action, but I'm certainly sympathetic to the sentiment

It sickens me how kids have been convinced to turn themselves into walking billboards for clothing brands, and to even pay a premium for the privilege.

[ejpoeta]

6. that is ridiculous. i am sorry. but it is. why don't they just have friggin uniforms

then they can solve all their problems!!

[hobbit709]

8. That will definitely prepare them for the future.

your choice, military, prison, or prole.

[SoCalDem]

7. Sheez.. just go with uniforms already.. It would surely be easier

and cheaper too.

They don't even have be be all "uniform-y" looking..

Just pick a "theme"...navy/khaki...white/blue...tan/black..whatever

and make shoes plain unbranded cheapo loafers.

no more distinction between haves & have-nots..no more "brand-fights".

instead of an ever increasing list of what-not-to-wears, just tell them what they CAN/MUST wear to class & let them dress up AFTER school.

[TBF]

10. That's what my kids' school has -

the "dress code" is simply plain attire. Neutral pants, shorts, skirts (black, navy, khaki) - jeans are allowed as long as they are plain, and no leggings or other skin tight clothes. Tops can be any color but they must be plain. We can usually find what we need at Target, and then I order some turtlenecks/plain sweaters for winter. They also have to tuck in their shirts and look groomed. Not too much to ask certainly - and it is very easy and much cheaper than the clothes my daughter has for the weekend or dress up.

[Dappleganger]

31. I agree with this.

School is for learning, express yourself after class on your own time.

Our school has a strictly-enforced dress code but at times I wish it went further. It would create less tension between the haves and have-nots.

[TBF]

34. Yes, it's a good code and you don't have to worry about them going

out in expensive clothes and ripping them at recess, getting art supplies on them, etc... I throw away stuff that is really vile at the end of the year, and stuff that is used but wearable goes to Goodwill.

[Pithlet]

33. I would be okay with a dress code like this.

But ours has one of those khakis and plane white polo only type very restrictive uniform dress codes. It is a serious pain in the ass. Basically our local Target/box stores and department stores will usually have a "uniform" section as a result, but if they're out of your kids' size, then it's off to another place to look. And if it's school shopping/tax holiday time? Forget it. Sometimes they can be completely out. And then the daily keeping up with both sets of clothes laundry hassle, not to mention keeping white polo shirts clean with two boys. Ugh!

I think it's ridiculous for a public school to have such a code. I'm hoping a possible upcoming merger with the county system with do away with it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. California has some serious restrictions on public schools that want to do that

Including mandatory opt out options. Overly restrictive dress codes have been tossed out by the courts.

[Xithras]

13. There's generally a critical-mass aspect to it.

My daughter went to a public elementary school here in California that required uniforms. They provided free uniforms to the kids who needed them, and had them for sale in the office at a discounted price to those who could afford to buy them.

While they did have the state mandated opt out policy in place, it was rare to see a kid out of uniform, and even then it was typically an odd circumstance (they forgot to do laundry and had no clean ones, etc.) I can't think of a single kid who wore street clothes to school on a regular basis. There were a few who resisted at first (usually transfer students from other schools who hadn't dealt with them before), but they caved quickly.

Kids generally don't want to be the "odd" one. When you're the only kid in jeans in a school with 400 uniform wearing students, you quickly choose uniforms just to fit in.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

15. We saw extreme administrator pressure not just peer pressure at the high school level

The former is a real concern, the latter as you quite correctly point out is real life. The opt outs become a bigger issue in middle and high school. My wife and I saw a lot of administrator pressure brought to bear on students who opted out in high school, pressure that was actionable if the students and their parents knew how to fight back.

My daughters spent substantive time in foreign schools where uniforms have always been mandatory and I see a number of practical advantages to uniforms.

[SoCalDem]

14. School is all about prepping youngsters for the "real world"

MOST jobs have "uniforms".. Try telling your bosses at UPS that "brown is not my color":rofl:

Unless you start your own company or go to work in some really laid back artsy place, you will be required to wear uniforms or to adhere to a restrictive dress code.

The same people who holler for vouchers or "choice" and who would jump at the chance to send their kinds to a pricey private school, are often the ones who balk at uniforms in public schools....and yet one common thing at private school, is the UNIFORMS :)

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. Uniforms are not real world

Few places have universal uniforms these days, even UPS limits it to those who work with the public. There is also no place in US society where you are compelled to go that requires uniforms now that the military draft is over.

There is at best a minimal dress code at the vast majority of employers, and those are driven by safety and sanitary needs. Even in jobs with a public face, limits have been challenged and removed (i.e. cornrows).

Obama went to a private school. They did not have uniforms (except JROTC) until just recently.

However, despite the above, most adults dress appropriately, mostly because it makes good sense. Its a sign of maturity, something you certainly cannot teach in high school

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. Most work places have dress codes. And silly rules too.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

23. I would disagree

Dress codes are very hard to codify legally and can be the subject of frequent litigation. Most of them are effectively unenforceable except in a right to work state. There is no real dress code for Federal civil service and seen some serious fireworks when local management tried to enforce it.

What there are is expectations and they are normally pretty clear. Most adults dress appropriately but there is little structural back up for it.

Been down this road several times as a supervisor...it's chock full of landmines

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. I've never worked anywhere where there wasn't a dress code

But then I'm old enough to remember when women were expected to wear dresses in the workplace.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

28. I am being persnickity about it being a FORMAL dress code

Expectations are norm, not one formally written down and part of the employee handbook. Often expectations are more stringent than a formal one, but are from a legal perspective unenforceable.

Is there a dress code for teachers in your district? How specific is it? Not all districts we worked in had them, but it was quite clear what the expectations were. For example ties for men, hose if women wore a skirt or dress. Though never formally documented, PE teachers were exempt for obvious reasons.

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. It's pretty general

I think it says professional attire. Jeans are discouraged.

[TBF]

35. LOL - when I worked in law firms in Wash DC in the 90's they

ALL had written dress codes for both lawyers and staff. They may not on campus, but in the firms you wore what they suggested or they talked to you about it (I know - I was in HR and had to speak to a few of the young ladies about their attire at the request of female partners - I kid you not).

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. More nonsense from so called professionals

Either go to uniforms or only restrict that which is rationally defensible. Then again, it is Idaho

[hunter]

17. Our schools have uniforms.

Two reasons -- Our city has violent gangs and there is a great disparity of family incomes even within individual schools.

Uniforms are a band-aid response to much more serious social problems but it does seem to relieve some of the pressures kids in school face.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

24. How many of the students and their family opted out?

It is an absolute right under CA law, but the pressure not to can be immense.

[hunter]

29. It's seen almost entirely as a safety issue here.

Some of the parents who would likely oppose uniforms for ideological reasons in safer cities are the most insistent that their own kids blend in with the crowd.

[last_texas_dem]

18. Perhaps Tapout should be banned for being worn

by a disproportionate amount of douchebags, but I have no idea about the drug connotation claim. Never heard of the two other brands...

[dionysus]

20. roids maybe?

:P

[Erose999]

21. One of the other brands is an acromym that (according to the leading authority on these matters)

Urban Dictionary, stands for "Stoners Reeking Havoc" .

Apparently the misspelling of wreaking is intentional. To quote one of the more articulate Urban Dictionary posters:

< quote >
All you dumbasses on here who say SRH is stupid because wreaking (causing) is spelled with a W, or say they 'reek (smell of) Havoc, your all stupid.

OK now SRH means Stoners Reeking Havok. The reeking part does'nt mean they smell like havoc Fucktards. It means they CAUSE havoc. It's related to Kottonmouth Kings - an underground hiphop group from Southern California. The simple meaning is Stoners Cause Chaos where ever the fuck they go. The reason Reeking is spelled with an R is because it's a unique way to say it and they knew faggots would try to correct them for it.

People who consider themselves as a SRH members know all about KMK, Tech N9ne, and Hed (P.E). They love to skateboard, ride dirtbikes and quads, and surf. They smoke weed and party. They beat the shit out of people who start shit with you first and they bump their KMK at all times.
Stupid Pussy- Dude SRH is stupid. They dont even know how to spell wreaking right.

Me- Hey, shut the hell up before I beat the shit out of you and your pussy crew. It's spelled like that because dumbfucks like you think they know everything about SRH and try to show how smart you are.
Stupid Pussy- Oh, dude I am stupid. You are the coolest person ever. Thanks for the knowlege.
< / quote >

Charming, ain't it?

This is whats happened to the children thanks to No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and all the rest of that "Waiting for Superman" teacher/union bashing nonsense going on in the schools.

On another note Urban Dictionary is probably the only place on the internet collectively dumber than Freep.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

25. At some point, we have to stop blaming NCLB, RTTT, etc. for this stuff.

As a country, we fail to realize that a fair amount of our kids are just fucking stupid, no matter what you do with them. And it's not like pre-NCLB kids were all geniuses, either.

Every group will have its "backwash." It's mean to say that, but it's true. We don't have millions of precious snowflakes -- we have torrential rains of idiocy with the occasional glimpse of the sun.

[Codeine]

26. SRH , Tapout, and Metal Mulisha are worn by bros out here in California.

Bros are the West Coast equivalent of a guido, I guess.



Additionally, Metal Mulisha uses a skull in a coal-scuttle helmet very reminiscent of Nazi imagery, so it's been made off-limits on a lot of soCal campuses because of perceived white supremacy connotations.