Across the country, stories have been coming out of students — particularly girls — being reprimanded for wearing clothing labeled as inappropriate and distracting. The controversy is most people see the rules as the problem, not the outfits.

Today’s fashion includes crop tops, off-the-shoulder tops, denim mini skirts, and other items of clothing that most school dress codes won’t condone.

Kearsley High School enforces a dress code with rules such as “no bare midriffs,” which rule out crop tops, and students must avoid clothing “which glamorize illegal or inappropriate behavior.”

While Kearsley students try to follow the dress code, they don’t always agree with the specific rules that are enforced every day. Sophomore Mickeely Dias does her best to stick to the dress code, but she doesn’t agree with certain restrictions that are enforced.

“I can’t show my shoulders. Most of my shorts are labeled too short, but I don’t see the problem with my clothes,” Dias said. “Boys can wear whatever they want, and I should be able to do the same.”

Most students feel the same way as Dias.

They feel their clothes are appropriate and that they shouldn’t have to change their style because of the code. Female students, especially, feel that the dress code needs to be fixed and applied to every student, male and female.

Junior Megan Millinkov feels that the dress code applies stricter rules for female students than male students.

“Mr. (Matt) Moore reminded us of the dress code regulations last week over the announcements,” Millinkov said. “The next day I saw two guys wearing tank tops, but they weren’t punished in any way.”

Many students don’t want to get rid of the dress code. They want to make sure the code is fair and makes sense with today’s fashion.

Sophomore Tyler Gronauer believes the dress code is important but needs to be evaluated.

“It’s important, but it’s taken too far,” Gronauer said.

Sophomore Shelby Cragg also has issues with the dress code, specifically the rule that all tank top straps must be at least two inches wide.

“It bothers me because it’s not as big a problem as the dress code makes it out to be,” Cragg said.

The dress code is something that students respect, but they also wish it would be analyzed.

They don’t disrespect the rules, they just want to make sure the rules they’re following are valuable and genuinely important to their education.

Students also want to make sure the dress code is applied to all students and that everyone who isn’t following the rules should be punished.

“Enforce it all the time, or don’t do it at all,” Millinkov said.