I'm not sure which would be more distracting - a tasteful, strapless dress, or one with straps and a deep, plunging neckline.
Middle school principal bans strapless dresses at dances; what do you think?
04/24/2013
Quote:
"Who pays a lot for a middle school dress????"
Originally posted by
snowminx
Every school has a dress code, what makes this different? Although you don't really see more skin without straps it helps keep you up so there isn't any "accidents". Along with that some boys that age are really just immature and
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Every school has a dress code, what makes this different? Although you don't really see more skin without straps it helps keep you up so there isn't any "accidents". Along with that some boys that age are really just immature and might step on someones dress to see it come down or put it down from the back.
Also you talk about parents that have already bought a dress and spent so much money. Who pays a lot for a middle school dress???? It's not like it's high school prom. Even then all they are saying is the dress has to have straps, just find similar color fabric and just sew/pin them on. A dance isn't a right. At least they are going to a nice place, we just had ours (BOTH middle and high school dances in the cafeteria). Oh yeah, and in middle school most of our people just wore shirts and skirts. less
Also you talk about parents that have already bought a dress and spent so much money. Who pays a lot for a middle school dress???? It's not like it's high school prom. Even then all they are saying is the dress has to have straps, just find similar color fabric and just sew/pin them on. A dance isn't a right. At least they are going to a nice place, we just had ours (BOTH middle and high school dances in the cafeteria). Oh yeah, and in middle school most of our people just wore shirts and skirts. less
Well, not me, that's for sure (we don't have kids anyway). But our next door neighbors have a daughter in the 8th grade; to her, the Spring Dance is a big deal. So, it becomes a big deal to the parents. The mom is the one who brought this story to my attention. This story's not about their school, and the dress they bought their daughter has straps anyway... but she said she'd have been royally pissed if their school had pulled this on her. While she didn't name a specific figure, she said her daughter's dress cost more than her (the mom's) senior prom dress had cost (in the mid 1980s). And they did go to about 10 different stores before finally finding the "perfect" dress. Apparently, "all the other girls" have fancy dresses...
Is that ridiculous? I sure think it is. But I think it's even more ridiculous to suddenly change a policy that's been in place for years and years, and not inform the parents in time to make other plans. And again, IMO, it's absolutely not right to put the blame for the boys' potential bad behavior on the girls' dresses.
I'm totally with you on the ridiculousness of extravagant events for kids that age, especially in this economy. Back when I walked 5 miles each way to school, in the snow, uphill (both ways) — you know, back in the good old horse 'n' buggy days — this wouldn't have been an issue. I didn't know anyone who actually cared about school dances. I only attended one. I wore blue jeans, and a turquoise button-down shirt with a skinny black tie. And a Member's Only jacket. That's the kind of thing everyone wore. And we considered ourselves way too cool to actually dance or anything like that. But it's different now.
I'm sure a lot of dresses will end up having straps sewn on — and I wouldn't be surprised if this principal is looking for another job this summer.
04/24/2013
This should totally be left up to the parents, but I hate that their argument includes "we've already bought dresses" it seems to undermine the argument of it being about how they want to raise their kids.
04/25/2013
Quote:
That is crazy
Originally posted by
spiced
A middle school principal in New Jersey has angered a number of parents by banning strapless dresses from school dances.
She (the principal) says strapless dresses are too distracting for boys. Parents are angry because they feel they ... more
She (the principal) says strapless dresses are too distracting for boys. Parents are angry because they feel they ... more
A middle school principal in New Jersey has angered a number of parents by banning strapless dresses from school dances.
She (the principal) says strapless dresses are too distracting for boys. Parents are angry because they feel they (parents) should be the ones deciding what's appropriate for their kids to wear — and it seems many parents had already bought strapless dresses for this year's Spring dance.
What do you think?
(btw - I can't edit poll options. The first option should read "She did the right thing...") less
She (the principal) says strapless dresses are too distracting for boys. Parents are angry because they feel they (parents) should be the ones deciding what's appropriate for their kids to wear — and it seems many parents had already bought strapless dresses for this year's Spring dance.
What do you think?
(btw - I can't edit poll options. The first option should read "She did the right thing...") less
04/26/2013
It should be up to the parents
04/26/2013
I think the issue on the board is some people are looking at this as if they were the kids, "I already picked out my dress." or the eternal middle school whine, "It's not fair !" while some of us are looking at this as parents who already have kids.
I have THREE girls. Two are already finished with middle school (one done with college and one in Graduate School) and one kid still in middle school. I understand these fairly common dress code rules. First of all, as I said before, some parents do NOT supervise their kids, and no 10 or 12 or even 14 year old child should be dressed like a 25 year old women who is going to a club to hook up. The school has every right to make dress code rules, like someone else said, the dance is a privilege, not a right. Our school does have a point system, and if you have no earned the points (which are connected to grades, behavior and extracurricular activities) you can't go to dances, field trips, parties etc.
As for "several hundred dollars" for a dress; are these people insane???? I have had all my girls go to middle school dances, and they either wear what they already have in their closets, or we run over to Target or Kohls and we pick something up for well under $50.00. We didn't even spend that much when our high school girls went to PROM. Several hundred dollars would do better in the college fund than for a middle school dance that they will never wear again.
If they were that ridiculous to spend a small fortune to buy a dress, they can do what others have suggested; sew straps on the dress. Or save it for Prom in High School.
Again, a dance is a privilege not a right and the school has every right to make dress codes. The only dress code I ever disagreed with was when my daughter, who was 11 at the time, had a hoodie that had a crown with the word "Princess" on it. The principal at the time (who was fired for inappropriate behavior a few years later) gave her the choice of going home to change or putting masking tape over the crown. According to him it was "a gang symbol." We don't have real gangs in our area, but this principal was obsessed with gangs and paranoid about the African American and Latino kids and made rules to make them uncomfortable. At one point he tried to ban solid colored T Shirts (according to him, these were "gang related") but the board overrode him on this rule.
I have THREE girls. Two are already finished with middle school (one done with college and one in Graduate School) and one kid still in middle school. I understand these fairly common dress code rules. First of all, as I said before, some parents do NOT supervise their kids, and no 10 or 12 or even 14 year old child should be dressed like a 25 year old women who is going to a club to hook up. The school has every right to make dress code rules, like someone else said, the dance is a privilege, not a right. Our school does have a point system, and if you have no earned the points (which are connected to grades, behavior and extracurricular activities) you can't go to dances, field trips, parties etc.
As for "several hundred dollars" for a dress; are these people insane???? I have had all my girls go to middle school dances, and they either wear what they already have in their closets, or we run over to Target or Kohls and we pick something up for well under $50.00. We didn't even spend that much when our high school girls went to PROM. Several hundred dollars would do better in the college fund than for a middle school dance that they will never wear again.
If they were that ridiculous to spend a small fortune to buy a dress, they can do what others have suggested; sew straps on the dress. Or save it for Prom in High School.
Again, a dance is a privilege not a right and the school has every right to make dress codes. The only dress code I ever disagreed with was when my daughter, who was 11 at the time, had a hoodie that had a crown with the word "Princess" on it. The principal at the time (who was fired for inappropriate behavior a few years later) gave her the choice of going home to change or putting masking tape over the crown. According to him it was "a gang symbol." We don't have real gangs in our area, but this principal was obsessed with gangs and paranoid about the African American and Latino kids and made rules to make them uncomfortable. At one point he tried to ban solid colored T Shirts (according to him, these were "gang related") but the board overrode him on this rule.
04/26/2013
Quote:
The issue is: too many parents don't bother to parent their children. Sadly, it is up to the schools to sometimes parent children whose parents don't give a shit.
Originally posted by
BrittaniMaree
It should be up to the parents
04/26/2013
I can't understand why the parents would be getting upset. How much money did they spend on a dress?
04/26/2013
Total posts: 38
Unique posters: 29
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