A group of primarily 8th grade students from Roosevelt Junior High School are making their voices heard with the motto, “Educate Us, Don’t Judge Us.” The group held a silent peaceful protest Monday morning before school outside Roosevelt Junior High, some wearing Union High colors of yellow and black to represent their request that the junior high dress code policy be changed to match the high school. The issue boiled over recently when one of the students involved says she was not allowed to take her Sage Test because of the pants she was wearing that are in the popular distressed style. After doing some research, the student and others who agreed with her decided that even with the school year winding down, they wanted to pursue changes in the dress code in order to help the younger students who will still be at the junior high. The current dress code states that “Neither ‘grubby’ nor mutilated clothing is acceptable.” The students state in their announcement that this wording is used to shame students as the adults interpret it in “whatever way fits them best” and that some are using the dress code to “bully students.” Duchesne County School District Student Services Director Scott Forsyth says these students are approaching this in the right way. “I have no issue with students protesting and sharing their opinion on things,” says Forsyth, who says he saw the peaceful protest when dropping his own child off to school. “This is their school and we want them to have a voice in their school. They are bringing it before the Community Council which is the proper place to begin with a concern like this.” If the Community Council decides a change to the dress code is appropriate then it will be taken to the school board for approval. In addition to asking that the junior high dress code match the high school, the students are proposing that the acceptable length to see skin on the leg should be the same length as the sports attire used in athletics.
