August 2, 2008
Judge Tom
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School dress code includes prison jumpsuits

That’s right. In the Gonzales School District in Texas, starting in August, 2008, any 5th to 12th grade student who violates the school dress code will be given navy-blue coveralls to wear for the day. Or they can change clothes if they have a change at school, or go to in-school suspension instead.

The jumpsuits are made by Texas inmates and are meant to place students’ attention on education instead of clothes. Deputy Superintendent Larry Wehde said the point of the policy is not to embarass the students, but to cover them up, adding that Gonzales is a conservative community. Banned in the school district are T-shirts, spaghetti-strap tank tops, extra baggy pants and cargo pants. Also banned are earrings for boys, miniskirts and clothes that show underwear.

What do you think of the policy change? Could you live with that at your school? Some parents complained that their kids weren’t “little prisoners.” One student thought it may encourage kids to “rebel” to fit the outfit. What do you think?

Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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