Should Yoga Pants, Leggings be Outlawed in Schools?

By LIZ TAURASI

Dress codes exist at schools throughout the Commonwealth, and at Jamaica Plain High School it’s no different.

However, as has been the case in many years, schools in various cities and towns throughout the state are banning the wearing of yoga pants and leggings, both of which are a staple in many young women’s wardrobes.

As the first day of school begins at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich, students will not be allowed to wear uncovered yoga pants or leggings, the Cape Cod Times is reporting Monday.

The decision, school Principal William Terranova told the Times is in addition to the school’s dress code policy and that these items can be worn if they are covered by shorts or a skirt. He goes on to say the ban on both yoga pants and leggings is to help prepare students at the school for the realities of the work world come graduation.

Over the past couple of years the issue of yoga pants and leggings in schools has become a hot topic with schools across the country making the call that they are simply not appropriate for a learning environment.

In February 2014, Rockport, MA middle and high school banned them after teachers said they were too distracting to other students. After several students were forced to change or sent home for more appropriate clothing, the school re-examined its policy and and dropped the ban.

In 2013, a middle school in Petaluma, CA prohibited students from wearing them, again saying they were distracting with the school’s principal saying “the appropriate attire contributes to a positive learning environment.”

While leggings and yoga pants aren’t banned in Jamaica Plain, the dress code is pretty specific about what students are and are not allowed to wear to school.

A look at the student handbook outlines the dress code for high school student which includes not wearing anything that’s inappropriate, as well as clothing that advertises alcoholic beverages, drugs, drug paraphernalia or writing that infers or implies sexual connotations.

What do you think? Should leggings and yoga pants be banned in our public schools? Do you agree with