District Bans Baggy, Saggy Pants at School

Baggy pants have been bagged at the Santa Paula Union High School District.

District trustees have decided to ban pants that are more than two inches larger than the wearer would require and pants or shorts that sag below the hips.

“This is something that’s related to gang attire, and it’s detrimental to the educational process at the school site,” Supt. William Brand said. “We don’t want to restrict students from being fashionable. What we want to do is eliminate clothing that’s inappropriate for a high school setting.”

The district’s dress code already bans shirts that expose the wearer’s midriff and T-shirts depicting sexually suggestive or drug- and alcohol-related images or messages.

The pants ban has actually been in place since last week, when school resumed after summer vacation, Brand said.

Although several warnings and one-hour detentions have been given to students violating the prohibition, none have been suspended so far, he said.

“We’ve had a great deal of support,” Brand said. “We have not had any families or students that have opposed the dress code. Everyone realizes we want to create a safe campus.”

Several other districts in the county have similar clothing restrictions, he said.