This has now made national news, and update, people are very divided on this issue!

 Original article continues below, originally published July 19, 2024:

School's will soon be seeing students return to classrooms across the country, but one school in Texas will have them return with a different dress code.

Charles Middle School in El Paso, Texas are enforcing a new dress code for students that will ban them from wearing black clothing and hoodies.

This news comes on the heels of school districts across the country exploring different dress codes, in order to stop distractions in the classrooms.

In a letter from Principal Nick DeSantis, parents were informed that the school had adopted a new dress code based on "policy feedback from families, faculty and staff." The reason for the ban on black clothing? DeSantis wrote that the look has “taken over the campus” and is associated with “depression and mental health issues and/or criminality.

As for the hoodies, the letter stated hoodies are prohibited in order to “remove opportunities for students to hide, use, and distribute items that they should not have in school.” Sweaters will be allowed as well as winter coats, just not hoodie-style ones.

The usual uniforms will still be in place at the middle school, as they are in almost every middle school in El Paso; that includes khaki pants and polo shirts. But footwear will also be restricted. The letter says shoes must be closed toe, no sandals, flip-flops, crocs or slippers allowed and socks will have to be solid colors, white, black or gray.

EPISD School bans crocs
Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash
loading...

As someone who did go to middle school in El Paso, uniforms are not out of the ordinary for middle schoolers; but the ban on black clothing and hoodies is definitely new. Black clothes and hoodies seem to be the go-to fashion choice for many students, especially those in middle school!

Highest-Ranked School Districts In Texas

These are the highest-ranked Texas school districts according to niche.com. With over 1,000 districts to consider, the main factors of this list comprise of average SAT/ACT scores, reading and math proficiencies, graduation rate and overall Niche score.

Gallery Credit: Nick

Texas Counties with the Highest High School Dropout Rates

Here is a look at the counties in Texas that have the highest rates for high school dropouts.

Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins