Max Martinez: Poor enforcement of school rules contributes to negative GHS environment
On Oct. 31, I went to school dressed in the same outfit I am wearing in the attached picture. Before the first bell even rang, I was sent to the office by my first period teacher, who stated I was wearing a costume. I was asked to leave the building to change my clothes.
An email had been sent out to parents and students on October 27, titled “October 31st Information’ which stated, “... It is the expectation that students will follow the normal dress code as outlined in the CUSD #205 Code of Conduct. If a student shows up in a costume, they will be asked to change into appropriate attire.”
The attire that I was wearing that day followed all guidelines outlined in the Galesburg Community Unit School District 205’s dress code. It did not promote obscene symbols; it did not pose a safety hazard, and it did not show excess skin. That attire was how I felt to express myself that particular day. If I had been able to stay in class, it would not have had a negative effect on myself or on the education of students around me. I was not wearing a costume. Regardless of all this, I was sent home in order to change.
The meaning of the word “costume” is subjective. I could argue that many of the outfits I see students wearing at school are “costumes.”
More:Galesburg woman will read Vietnam Wall names including her father’s name
Here are a few things I see quite regularly during the school day: Chokers, pajamas, crop tops, beanies, winter coats, brimmed hats, shirts promoting gangs, shirts promoting explicit bands, pentagrams, upside down crosses, shorts and skirts that go above the thigh, shirts that expose women’s cleavage, see-through shirts, and even animal ears and tails. From my experiences at Galesburg High School there is nothing about my outfit that is any less “dressed for success” than what has been deemed acceptable by GHS staff.
If the school administration has the power to send me home for wearing something that I personally don’t regard as a costume and that follows the dress code, why don’t they enforce these rules equally amongst all students at GHS everyday? I feel there are drastic faults in the priorities of District 205 and the way they are enforcing the rules they set out for their students. A student should be able to wear whatever they feel best expresses them as long as it does not have a negative effect on those around them.
Poor enforcement of school guidelines is contributing to the negative school environment at GHS and is suppressing the efforts of GHS students to make their school a more positive and desirable place to be.
When it comes down to it, there are a lot of good, caring students who enjoy going to school and want it to be a happier place. A lot of my peers and I just want to bring some spirit into the school to have fun in a safe, inclusive way. The 2020 pandemic robbed important years of the students at GHS, something we had no control over. We should be in control of any positive experience we can create in the time we have left at Galesburg High School.
I still maintain I did not wear a costume to Galesburg High School on October 31, 2022.
Maximilian Martinez is a senior at Galesburg High School.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Martinez: Poor enforcement of rules contributes to school negativity
