Traditionally, a sports team at Miami Palmetto Senior High begins a game day by putting their jerseys on. This allows  the players to get thrilled for the event later in the day and creates a sense of unity and pride for their team. Each sports  team has permission to sport their jersey, yet now, the girl’s lacrosse team does not have the ability to do so.

To preface, the girl’s lacrosse jersey, a sleeveless v-neck, follows all of the dress code rules . It does not expose shoulders to the extent of tube tops and spaghetti straps, as well as covers the players back, which according to the Miami Dade Public Schools Dress Code , should be permitted. 

After designing the uniform, the school had to approve it, which includes allowing the team to wear the jersey with confidence and fulfillment. For each individual game day, the players on the girl’s lacrosse team had the ability to show their spirit and passion for the sport by wearing their jerseys freely, but now this has been taken away.

The school has consistently permitted teams to wear the jerseys that the school approved. This announcement directly affected the lacrosse team, and now compared to a majority of the other teams for Palmetto, does not have the same feeling before the game.

Generally, despite a team jersey, girls as a whole tend to get targeted more frequently for their attire than boys do. Although boys have the option to wear a tank top that shows off their full shoulders and abdomen, girls cannot wear this without going against the school dress code.

The Miami Dade School Dress Code states that if a clothing item affects the status of a student’s health or cleanliness,  the distraction of students, the disruption of a school activity, or an abundance of upkeeping of school property, then a school has permission to not permit students wearing that item of clothing. This statement then creates a general basis of what is suitable and not for a school environment. But what is the true difference between a girl’s shoulder and a boy’s shoulder being exposed?

This goes back to the colonial eras in which women were to remain covered, dressing elegantly in long, extravagant gowns. As times have changed, the expectations of mundane attire, for both men and women, have deteriorated.  This itself has sparked much controversy,one side believing women should still cover themselves, while the other believes that it is their body, their choice.

This school district, let alone a chain of school districts, are too captivated with the idea of this “perfect world”, with everyone confined to a specific dress code, even if it inhibited their expressionism and made female students feel as though they had differing standards than male students. If a school approves and provides apparel, students should be allowed to wear it.