Blog #5: Dress For Success at Public Schools

Does the term dress for success mean anything anymore? The current lawsuit filed by the Cheyenne Sioux tribe against the public school in Eagle Butte, South Dakota is another attempt by lawyers to waste taxpayers’ money on an issue that has proven successful in other districts. According Carol Moran, whose daughter attends the school, she and, “other parents have joined the tribe in a federal lawsuit seeking to block the school district from enforcing the dress code, which requires students to wear black, white or tan shirts, pants, skirts or shorts”.




The school district insists that the school has a gang problem and many of the students wear gang colors to school, “daily”. Many educators may think of a gang as something they see on TV or in the movies but according to the School Safety and Security Services a youth gang can be considered young adults who:

• interact frequently

• are frequently and deliberately involved in illegal activities

• share a common collective identity

• and typically adopt certain methods of identification and/or claim control over certain areas



I would assume that the teachers and administrators at Eagle Butte have seen these behaviors for some time and decided to take action. They didn’t do it overnight. They sent letters home explaining the new dress code and published the rules in the local paper over the summer explaining the reasoning behind it. The district, which has failed to meet the standards from No Child Left Behind has stated, “we hope that an increase in safety will increase our academics for all students." Can you blame them for trying something new?



An example that this policy does work is Long Beach, California. Since 1994 the school has kept records and the stats have shown that school crime has dropped 76%, while attendance has reached an all time high.



Other positive things that uniforms bring to the table stated on a public school parent website are:

1. Eliminates opportunities for the ridicule of less popular or less fortunate students based on attire.

2. Decreases theft and violence

3. Help students resist peer pressure

4. Help officials recognize intruders



I have visited Eagle Butte and have been in their high school within the last year. The town of Eagle Butte is poor and when I was there the atmosphere just seemed depressing. For those of you not familiar with the reservation in SD it is very similar to the ghetto in a large city. There are buildings that need fixing, a swimming pool with no water, basketball courts with no nets, and individuals just hanging out. The school is nice but run down in areas such as maintenance and grounds. It was summer when I visited so no students were there but I did meet some staff members that were very positive and hardworking. It must be somewhat disappointing to see youth gangs and violence increasing in your district and not being able to do much to curve it. That is why they passed a school dress code policy. They needed to act quickly and take stand in the one place students should feel safe…the school. Good for them.

I understand the cost of new uniforms will be difficult for some families but I am sure if there is a way to tie it to NCLB and success rate maybe a discount can be offered. I also understand the claim of civil liberties and freedom of expression should be allowed in a public schools and it can be, at sporting events, school clubs, and dances. I would ask any parent in Eagle Butte if they have a better idea of stopping the gangs in the schools then they should step forward and speak up.