Warmer weather can defeat students here at Lakeland High School.

When the sun comes out and starts to fry students, students decide to dress for the weather. This can be a conflict with the school because they have a dress code.

LHS has a dress code that is difficult to follow, and still wear cute and trendy clothes. Some students think that the dress code targets girls more than boys, with all of the shorts and tank top rules compared to the boys.

Mackenzie Briggs is ready to start wearing shorts because it is getting unbearable to be at school in jeans and hoodies. She agrees that in some instances the girls get more limitations than the boys do.

“I am ready for short weather,” Briggs said. “The only thing that sucks is that with the dress code, you can not really wear anything that is more on trend because shorts are not cute at mid-thigh.”

The dress code is something that the school enforces so that students do not get distracted.

This can be interpreted in different ways. Verity Zicheck believes that the dress code targets girls.

“I think that the dress code especially targets girls,” Zicheck said. “The main reason they have it is to keep the boys from getting distracted, but they are going to stare no matter what.”

Though some see it as the school targeting girls, others know and understand that it is just so that all students feel comfortable at school. 

Emalie Hardaway has been at LHs since her freshman year and has always abided by the rules and has not gotten dress coded.

This can be difficult not to get dress coded in three years, but it is achievable.

“I have always just listened to what the dress code is and make sure that I am wearing what is appropriate for the school,” said Hardaway.

When the school administrators dress code students they are only following the rules of the school board. The district office is the people who make the choices of what the schools have to enforce. Those who think that it is targeted towards girls, it is not. Principal Assistant Shannon Laufountain states that the dress code clearly states that it is for any and all students.

“Our job is to make sure we are making an educational atmosphere conducive to the learning environment,” Laufountain said. “When you look at alcohol and tobacco, it is not just about coverage. It is just that now with the weather changes it just seems like it is more about the coverage.”

The policy is more for making sure that all students are comfortable in their learning environment and goes for all girls and boys.