An Illinois school district has received serious backlash from parents after announcing that children enrolled in online classes won’t be allowed to wear pajamas during school hours, WCIA reported.
The Springfield School District recently released its 2020-2021 handbook which states that in-class dress codes will still apply to those students enrolled in remote learning, meaning children will not be permitted to wear their PJ’s while in a video class.
Just as pajamas are banned, several other forms of dress outlined in the new policy have also been deemed inappropriate for a learning environment.
These include:
“Clothing with holes above the knee, ragged hems or cut-off hemlines, or made of transparent or fishnet fabric, or clothing that exposes the chest, abdomen, genital area or buttocks, undergarments or the legs above mid-thigh.”
In addition to the dress code, the handbook also explains that students will be required to sit “up out of bed preferably at a desk or table” during online learning.
Parents have expressed outrage at the school district’s efforts to dictate how their children dress, even while they’re learning from their own homes.
“I made the decision for my kids to be at home and I don’t really see how any district can come in and say what my kid can’t wear in my house,” one mother told WCIA . “I don’t think they have any right to say what happens in my house.”
“I think they have enough to worry about as opposed to what the kids are wearing. They need to make sure they’re getting educated.”
However, there have been some parents who have vocalized their support for the district’s decision to still enforce a strict dress code.
As one parent reportedly expressed online, “It makes sense, it’s just a little bit of respect to show up clean and ready for class.”
Aaron Graves, the president of the Springfield Education Association, said he believes the priority should be on learning, not clothing.
“In truth, the whole pajama thing is really at the bottom of our priority scale when it comes to public education,” he told WCIA.
“[Teachers] really want to see kids coming to the table of education whether it’s at the kitchen table with the laptop there or whether it’s the actual brick and mortar school house. Raising the bar for all kids and helping them get there, whether they’re in their pajamas or tuxedo is really what’s important.”
The school district has since responded to complaints to say issues pertaining to dress code will be addressed “on an individual basis.”
In a statement to WCIA, the district added that while they hope children will approach online learning with the same attitude as in-class, they also understand that dress code interpretations will vary.
“We do not intend to be punitive or to prescribe what students wear at home during remote learning, especially in this period of uncertainty and adjustment for students, families and staff. If there is a specific concern as it relates to dress code, we will address it individually with the student and their family.”
