While other school officials are struggling against the scourges of drugs and violence, officials at the Richmond Community Schools in Indiana have started a campaign against the ravages of stripes and plaids. Officials have prohibited clothing other than solid colors and have parents seeing solid red.
The protests in Richmond over the policy are occurring as religious extremists in Florida are protesting the ban on t-shirts with anti-Muslim messages. Wherever the proper line is found, it probably lies somewhere between banning plaid clothing and barring t-shirts declaring “Islam is of the Devil.”
At a recent meeting, some parents broke down in tears as they described their children’s struggle with the zero tolerance policy on clothes with any distinguishing marks, including stripes, logos, plaid or floral prints, delayed regular board business for more than three hours.
Others simply lived in open denial. Parent Steven Morris insisted “[h]er plaids and her stripes, they don’t affect her grades.” How naive. Did Morris ever wonder why prisoners all wear stripes? The connection between plaids and crime is well established. Consider this scene from Pulp Fiction where all of the criminals are wearing florals or logos:
Consider these pictures of the mob:
Mr. Morris, all of their parents thought that they could “handle plaids.”
Other parents are opening pushing images that are known to be gateways to gang colors. Gene Nolte even complained: “The kindergarteners and first graders just coming into the school system, they don’t understand, I can’t wear Winnie the Pooh. As they grow up, with all this strict, strict, strict (enforcement) they are going to rebel.”
Just tell that to the parents of Crips and Bloods who started with Poo pictures on their t-shirts. These arrested individuals all abandoned solid colors for a life on the edge of society and fashion:
Officials insist that the ban on plaids, stripes, words etc are key to its “culture of success” program.
Superintendent Allen Bourff said the dress code is “a work in progress” but defended suspensions issued against students who continue to wear expressive clothing or illicit plaids. He has a considerable challenge. There are even those who would corrupt the youth with websites committed to “success with stripes and plaids.” Bourff’s culture of success is already paying dividends in shaping future (solidly dressed) citizens as shown in this video from the Richmond school graduation:
For the full story, click here.
I do trust all of the ideas you’ve introduced on your post.
They’re really convincing and will certainly work.
Still, the posts are very brief for starters. May just you please extend them a little from subsequent time?
Thanks for the post.
Mespo,
This is my favorite “or tops or dresses with straps less than 2 inches wide at the shoulder;”
Rigby Reardon: “[Richmond] was the kind of town where they spell trouble T-R-U-B-I-L, and if you try to correct them, they kill you.”
If my kids were still of school age, I would want them to go to these schools. Apparently they have no REAL problems to deal with: no drugs, delinquency, teenage pregnancy, not even graffiti. Otherwise, those in charge would never have the time or resources to devote to this utter nonsense.
From Article: “At a recent meeting, some parents broke down in tears as they described their children’s struggle with the zero tolerance policy on clothes with any distinguishing marks,”
Srsly?
If these kids and parents can’t overcome the difficulty of picking out a solid color article of clothing in the morning can it be reasonably infered that there is any hope of them becoming productive members of a comples society? Just how stupid do you have to be to ‘struggle’ with picking out a solid color, or to weep over the imposition of such a monumental task?
Srsly. LOL.
Them kids are probably hanging around with them creepy-dangerous Quaker gangs from that Earlham College there. Funny hats. Wooden shoes. Liberalizm.
One of the few places where people actually still argue that standard time is something God invented…
Micheal Box,
“If the next candidate for public office uses plaid shirts for her supporters ”
I don’t know if you remember Lamar Alexander from TN who ran for president in 1996, but that’s actually already happened. His shirt became an icon of his campaign.
From his bio:
“In his campaign for governor, Lamar Alexander walked 1,000 miles across Tennessee in his now famous red and black plaid shirt.”
this is Indiana, the most bizarre state in which I ever lived. It truly has borders which cases no shortage of relief to people in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, & Kentucky who’d rather not have to deal with Hoosier psychosis. It’s also a small, declining city that can’t get a grip on its future. places like that, Hoosier and otherwise, will grasp at anything.
This is not merely “fashionistas gone berserk.” While attempting to truncate illegal activity the district runs the risk of overbreadth.
If the next candidate for public office uses plaid shirts for her supporters then the ban will violate the First Amendment.
Perhaps the next wave of immigrants will have the tradition of wearing paisley. Does the ban then not run afoul of Justice Stone’s famous footnote four? Surely such children would be part of a discrete and insular minority.
The “colors” are only superficial. The dreaded conduct runs deep. The school district is best advised to work with the community to end the root causes compelling youth to join gangs rather than pruning the flowering evidence of membership.
Here’s the new and improved Henrico (Virginia) Dress Code for students:
“According to the new code, students will not be allowed to wear:
hats or head coverings of any kind inside school buildings unless required for religious or medical reasons;
do-rags, bandanas, head scarves, hair picks, wave caps, large combs, brushes or rollers anywhere on school grounds during regular school hours;
dresses, skirts, shorts or athletic shorts higher than 4 inches above the knee;
torn, ripped or slashed clothing that reveals undergarments or parts of the body required to be covered, such as the midriff;
excessively tight or skimpy clothing, including bike shorts and plunging necklines;
tube tops, halter tops, halter-top dresses, strapless dresses, or tops or dresses with straps less than 2 inches wide at the shoulder;
swimwear or sleepwear;
sunglasses unless prescribed by a physician; and
coats inside the school building during the school day, with exceptions based on school design and storage for coats.”
Micro-management of students’ right to expression is the rule not the exception. While no parent I know wants revealing or distracting clothing disrupting the school day, do we really care if little Suzy keeps her coat on during a cold day when the furnace breaks. Are we unwilling to tolerate the ravages of hats or “large” combs? Can the educational mission survive if we permit, even for an instant, the scourge of straps less than (oh, the horror!) two inches?
I call it pacification indoctrination, and applaud those students who decide to dye their hair blue and show up to school. That, apparently, is still permitted by the clothing police on the land where Henry uttered his famous choice. Thank you Justice Scalia, et ilk.
Jill 1, August 28, 2009 at 9:04 am
Is this school anti-lumberjack?
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No Jill, these children are probably getting Jacked over as we speak.
Is this school anti-lumberjack?
I guess plaid does contribute to acting out:
I am aghast, does that mean I cannot wear my dark Tommie Bahama shirts?
I can see the need to ban plaids as a victim of parochial school, but stripes?
Come on who do we have making this policy? Nuns and a Priest?
These kids better watch it, soon alls they will have is Butterfingers and Hershey Bars.
Perhaps it would be better if government mandated that children wear uniforms that represent who their ideal parent is: The State.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KgBT8kIRgBo/SdPJMKw7UII/AAAAAAAAFJw/kC_2ZXUM9wM/s1600-h/elian.jpg