A public school in the midwest has sparked debate around dress code, remote learning, and school’s ability to enforce those items as the new school year approaches.
In early August, the Springfield Public School District in Illinois decided students would not be able to wear hats, sunglasses, bandanas, or pajamas while learning from home.
The school board backed that decision.
Dr. Elizabeth Murray, a pediatrician at Golisano Children’s Hospital, says it comes down to trying to maintain routine for students.
“So, you still want to represent yourself as prepared as possible, and getting dressed for school is part of that,” Dr. Murray told 13WHAM. “Anything we can do to kind of normalize that, to make sure that kids have some expectation of what’s going to happen.”
Creating structure is necessary, according to the CDC. This is part of a child’s development in social and emotional categories.
However, parents overwhelmingly disagreed in responses on social media. School districts in the region also appeared to not have any plans to enforce dress codes in the new school year.
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