Dress code
At Kempsville High School, the administration is currently examining ways to make the dress code more accessible to students.

Principal Bill Harris said  Kempsville has no specific written guidelines. According to him we follow the Virginia Beach City Public School Guidelines which can be found here.

Harris believes students are constantly being dress coded and sometimes miss out on valuable class time.

Harris is working to make a change. He agrees that Kempsville needs to write more reasonable guidelines for students.

‘’It is almost impossible to write guidelines that are universal,’’ said Mr.Harris, which makes it difficult for him to establish rules that are fair for everyone.

Harris also says that he knows for a fact more females are written up for breaking the dress code than males, and he agrees that it is unfair and a change needs to be made.

Three students at Kempsville agreed that the dress code is too strict and they want to see a change.

A sophomore, Maddie Wallace, says she has been dress coded numerous times for wearing leggings. She was first dress coded for leggings when she was 12 years old.

“The staff says things to students that should not be said and makes them feel embarrassed,’’ said Maddie.

A senior, Makayla Elmore wants the dress code to allow off the shoulder tops and leggings. She said that she dislikes the fact that so many students miss out on class time because of clothing, and feels like the dress code sexualizes women’s bodies because it is mostly females that get dress coded.

“Everywhere you go in life there is some type of dress codes,” Joshua Bruening, an English teacher at Kempsville High School, said.

Breuning believes that the dress codes are fair and uniforms would be helpful.

“Students don’t have to wake up early in the morning to think about clothing [if there were uniforms,] and it would be one type of way that everyone could follow.”

Harris believes by sending students home the school is standing against its own values.

Harris is currently working to make a change in the dress code before the weather warms up.