This brings back fond memories for us here at LAist. Our own high school was exponentially more draconian than this: blackwatch plaid skirts for the girls, cut below the knee, and white shirts with blue slacks for the guys. No freelancing allowed. Did we hate our dress code? Unbdoubtedly. Did we complain about such outlandishly conservative limits? You better believe it. Did we walk out of school because of it? Not a chance in hell. Our teachers and parents would have kicked us into the middle of next week. Believe me, non-conformity has always been welcome in all our houses, but a knock-down, drag-out fight over a dress code was a battle that just didn’t seem worth fighting.
LAist wonders exactly just what is going on at Colton High. We’re not exactly talking about the 1960’s era Haight here. It’s entirely possible that, as spokesman Michael Townsend keenly observed, “The vast majority walked out because it's a good excuse for them to get out of class. I think a lot of them followed their peers."
To quote the venerable Homer Simpson, “D’Oh!” What an insightful piece of analysis from Mr. Townsend. Of course they wanted to get out of class! Don’t they all? And you gave them exactly what they wanted! In fact, you gave the entire school the day off! In so doing, you branded every single protester a hero. No matter how you try to punish them, you’ve just created hundreds of little William Wallaces running around your campus. The next time they decide to stage a demonstration on campus, it will be much stronger and ten times more vociferous.
LAist thinks Colton High School needs to get its house in order. And so do the parents of these kids. Clearly, the authority figures in this town aren’t very authoritative. What’s next? A walk out for easier classes? A rally for fewer final exams? A sick out for less homework?
LAist cautions the students to think about the big picture. While we respect the call to arms and anyone’s right to question the rules of conformity, we don’t condone it just for the sake of ditching class. You say you want a revolution? Go put on your best drooping pants, show off those bare midriffs and go protest something that really matters. Leave the dress code stuff for the amateurs.
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Mark,
This is a response to your article "Dress For Success"... apparently you did not do your homework when preparing this piece.. Please see the following link that lists the reason the students were protesting... I am a parent of one of the students at Colton High School and do not appreciate journalists such as yourself who take things out of context and have such a lack of respect for the people involved. The students of Colton High School deserve more than this as the "dress code" really had nothing to do with the initial protest.... the news took Micheal Townsend's comments (school spokesman - who I talked to yesterday and he apologized for his comments stating that students only wanted to get out of class) and used only one sentence in most articles released to the public.
Check this link out (the first paragraph more correctly states the reason for the protest), and then write something so that these students get the respect they deserve for protesting a hard-nosed principal who is unwilling to work with teachers and students alike. Thanks for your time,
Dawn Johnson