All-black attire is prohibited in Texas schools due to mental health.
Wearing all black will be considered a dress code infraction at this Texas institution.
The El Paso Independent School District's Charles Middle School forbids students from dressing in black due to worries about psychological well-being.
In accordance with local media reports, Principal Nick DeSantis wrote to parents stating that a "look" had "taken over on school with pupils adopting black tops and black bottoms".
The appearance, according to him, "has become associated more closely with misery and psychological issues and/or criminality than with happy wellness and healthy kids ready to learn" .
According to Norma De La Rosa, president of the El Paso Instructors Organization, pupils are permitted to wear some black apparel or entire black ensembles on designated free dress days under the new dress code policy.
Ms. De La Rosa continued, saying that when kids experience stress or depression, teachers notice a shift in the way they dress.
"Charles Middle School stakeholders raised concerns and made recommendations, which is why the dress code was changed," the school said in a statement to the local media. Yet, families and other community members had differing views about the new policy.
"Perhaps focus on bullying! That's more of a mental health issue," a Facebook user said in response to a policy-related social media post. Some claimed that the school's decision would just penalize struggling pupils and did not address the underlying causes of teen mental health difficulties.
Yes, that's correct—the issue is with the garments, not with what's going on inside of them. One response said, "Give them counseling instead of forbidding them from wearing what makes them comfortable."
