40 Lennox Students Stage Sit-In Over New Dress Code
About 40 Lennox Middle School students held a brief sit-in last week before school to protest a new dress code that bans boxer shorts, pajama bottoms and similar types of pants as outer garments.
The students--whom guidance counselor Pam Rector described as “a cool clique of kids that starts all the trends” at the school--presented a petition opposing the dress code to administrators early last week.
On Thursday, the same day as the Lennox demonstration, unrelated dress code protests were held at schools throughout Los Angeles County.
Students walked out of classes at three high schools in the Antelope Valley Union High School and at University High School on Los Angeles’ west side to protest anti-gang dress codes that banned all hats except official school baseball caps. The Lennox protest did not involve gang dress.
Rector said all the Lennox students returned to classes when administrators vowed to punish those who skipped class.
She insisted that the dress code was reasonable and didn’t trample anyone’s liberties.
“Everyone can have their own taste,” Rector said. “But you can’t wear underwear to school.”
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