Students returning to Cedar Park High School this year were surprised to find changed the first day of classes. The school has changed in several ways, including different class times and the removal of C lunch, but the hot topic around school is dress code.
     “I heard about it on the first day of school when I was dress coded for my tank top,” Aimee Henderson, senior, said. “They told me it was too thin and had me change.”
     Although the dress code hasn’t changed, APs are changing the way they are enforcing it. The dress code requires students to wear shorts no shorter than mid-thigh and doesn’t allow tank tops, facial piercings, and much more. Its main focus is to create a less distractive learning environment by making students dress more appropriate.
     “I think it’s not so provocative so you can be less distracted and focus more [in classes],” Anne Datillo, freshman, said.
      The code may help many in classes, but students have problems finding clothes to match the code.
     “You can’t dress like you want to,” Datillo said. “The new style is shorter shorts, so it’s hard to find an outfit to wear.” Finding clothes to fit the dress code has become a problem for a majority of the students.
     “It’s really hard to find mid-thigh shorts”, Henderson said. “I’ve been to a lot of stores and can’t find any shorts that match the dress code. All I can really wear to school are pants, which stinks considering that it’s 100 degrees outside.”
     Although students not following the dress code may cause a distraction in classes, many students believe that enforcing the code during class may cause more of a distraction.
     “I honestly don’t think students who don’t follow the dress code are distracting,” Amber Oestrick, senior, said. “I think it’s way more of a distraction when teachers dress code someone in class because it results in teachers being able to teach less.”
     Dress code posters can be found scattered around the school halls. To ensure you don’t lose valuable class time in the AP office, make sure you’re dressed appropriately and following the dress code guidelines before you leave for school.