by Sara Tran
York Suburban High School should be a place where students should be permitted to express themselves fully whether it be through speech or clothing. However, this sense of freedom should not affect other students negatively.
Students should feel safe and proud of their identities and who they are. Their choice of speech and clothing are like a voice that shouldn’t be taken away.
“I think it is good that people are expressing themselves– we get to see things from different cultures, hobbies, music, etc.,” said freshman Eligio Mendez-Mendez stated. A sophomore student Mariam Mansour and freshman Martena Ayaad agreed, saying “we can wear what we want to some extent.”
Through speech, YSHS students could verbally preach what they believe. However, unkind words may arise from this. “I would not feel bothered by the words the person uses as long as it is not a verbal attack on someone based on discrimination of any kind,” said freshman Kaithlyn Khuc.
Likewise, Principal Brian Ellis stated, “Students may not say something harmful to others, whether it is racist or prejudiced. Such comments will result in consequences and also can often can be disruptive in school.”
As well as speech, students could depict themselves with clothing. This year, YSHS lifted some old policies like ripped jeans and leggings. “We do have a code of conduct that has a prescribed dress code that students are expected to follow. So as long as students stay within those guidelines, we wouldn’t want any issues. But certainly, some students do stretch the boundaries,” Ellis shared.
Some clothing is not allowed, like explicit pictures and/or words. In judgment, Assistant Principal Chris Adams stated, “Certain pictures people don’t find as offensive rather than certain words. Then kids may be asked to change.”
Even though students have the choice to wear what they want, their freedom is not limitless. Adams also said, “We are trying to prepare the students life after high school as well– would your employer allow that?”
He shared, “We had a situation a couple years ago, we had students that wanted to express themselves and it was almost like a mini-protest. They came to Dr. Ellis ahead of time because they wanted the parameters of what they could or couldn’t do– they respected the building and people in the building enough that they didn’t want to create a problem for anyone. They still wanted to get their point across, and I think that is a valuable learning experience.”
Students may have freedom of speech, but at school, it is limited, for what they say can affect others’ education. Even with some restrictions, students are able to wear what they like without the use of uniforms.
Students are very fortunate in what they are allowed to say and wear. Some schools don’t grant as much freedom as the York Suburban High School does. It would be a great thing to see students signify themselves through their speech and clothing at school. Of course, it must be done in a respectful manner.