Illinois School District Says No pajamas For Online Classes

One Illinois school district is making headlines with their dress code policy for online classes this school year.

Several school districts will be implementing virtual learning as a result of COVID-19 this year. I'm sure that you, or someone you know has had to work from home with all of this madness that is going on. I'd be willing to bet that some of those people only got dressed from the waist up for their virtual work meetings and such. I know I would. I mean if I were working from home, I don't think I would make the same effort to get myself ready each day as I would if I were going into the office. If you're doing a video meeting, no one is going to be looking at your legs. Why put the full suit on, when you only have to look decent from the waste up. That's my motto, at least.

Well, with schools around the area reopening for the 2020-2021 school year, many students who will be participating in virtual learning might have a similar mindset. However, that won't work for students in one Illinois school district.

According to The Times of Northwestern Indiana, the school district in Springfield, Illinois has updated its school dress code policy for remote learning. In this updated policy,  students can't wear pajama pants, slippers or hats while on camera when classes start this month. The article says:

Springfield Public Schools officials said they hope students approach online classes the same way they would attending classes in person and that means following a dress code that also bars hoods, sunglasses and bandannas, among other things. The district said students should also be “sitting up out of bed preferably at a desk or table” during remote learning, according to its school manual.

Now, I get it. You want your students to take virtual classes seriously. This includes being presentable on video class sessions. But I highly doubt that any student's video will show them from head to toe, much like your work video conferences. If I am a student, and I want to wear my Crocs or slippers on a video classroom session, I'm not going to be showing off my feet for the whole class to see. Especially if the lower half of your body is under the table.

School officials said they don't intend for the rules to be punitive when it comes to what students wear, particularly during a pandemic. They also say that if there is a specific concern with a student's dress code violations, they will address it directly with the student and their family.

So what are your thoughts? Is this a little too much? Are your kids going to follow similar guidelines for virtual learning?