In June 2015, Cape Cod Regional Technical High School implemented a policy forbidding students from wearing yoga pants/leggings on school premises.  This policy was approved by the parents of the students who immediately rebelled by attending the first day of school in yoga pants/leggings; many students participated, both male and female.  The student body made it clear how they felt about the rule change, which lead their principal to express his pride in their creativity and voice rather than frustration, “‘They used their voices. They used their minds,’”  he told PEOPLE magazine.  The policy is now more lenient, though still present; students are allowed to wear yoga pants/leggings only if under pants, shorts, skirts, or dresses.   

        Many BHS students do not agree with the ban of yoga pants at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School.  Junior Lizzie Arvanitis said, “The ban shows how society values male education over female, even today [we] objectify young girls’ bodies.”  She attributed this to why such young girls have a skewed negative self-image.   

“Society puts emphasis on the female body, making things sexual that aren’t, telling women what they should or shouldn’t be.  They are seen as being beneath men, a distraction to men” said Arvanitis.

She praised BHS teachers for being smart enough to recognize and reject outdated standards. “Our teachers are with the times,” she said.  Arvanitis doesn’t agree with having a dress code at all.

Some BHS students are not even aware of the BHS dress codes.  Page 80 of the Barnstable High School Student Handbook states, “Student Dress will NOT: 1.  Create a health or safety concern and/or disrupt the educational process.”

  There is also a clear separation between male and female dress codes at BHS.  The handbook states that though hats are banned for “ALL students, sleeveless shirts and or tank tops [are banned] for male students.”  But girls are given more rules of dress, so they can’t “Display midriff, cleavage, undergarments, or otherwise be inappropriately revealing, includ[ing] short-shorts, short-skirts, strapless tops/dresses, or spaghetti straps; skirts and shorts are to be minimally fingertip length.”

  Barnstable High School Principal Patrick Clark took into account whether the decision made at the Tech was through a fair meeting, addressing the financial needs of the families that are affected by a dress code alteration.  As to why Clark thought yoga pants were banned at the Tech, he referenced the article in The Cape Cod Times that said they were “safety hazards in the workplace and shops.”

He said that there should be basic guidelines that everyone should follow when at school.  Clark said students should be “presentable and deem what is acceptable ourselves.”  How to dress at school, according to Clark, is to always remember the statement, “business of school.”

Junior Erin Murphy deemed yoga pants appropriate in all instances, though quickly added, “If worn properly.”   

“Standards should be upheld.  You need to know how to carry yourself.  Dress code plays a part in this,” said Clark.     

There are standards of dress and Clark expects the 18-year-olds in the building to be “more appropriate and have common sense to know not to walk into school in their pajamas.”  Clark went on to say, “I’m 43 and that rule would apply to me too.”

Ultimately, the dress code is based on the core values that every student should respect.  “It boils down to personal responsibility, integrity, and respect for yourself and others,” said Clark.