" So, if I follow your logic, then if we all want to go around in pasties and a g-string it is ok? How would you feel if this is how your doctor dressed during an appointment with you? Or the firemen....hmm, well the firemen would be OK. They are usually pretty good looking.... "

" This is a democratic society, and there were multiple meetings involving student, parents, faculty and administration the year before all this ridiculous mess. The majority chose to keep the dress code w/modifications. It was all over the register pages. Sadly, in a litigious society it is the vocal minority that generally wins out. "

" Where does the right to wear what we want come from? Where is it stated that we have the right to wear what we want? Do we also have the right to drive as fast as we want? Do we have the right to physically harm the people we don't like? Do we have the right to spray paint graffiti where we want? The answer to the last three rules is "no" we don't have those rights because there have been rules set up against those acts. Just like there were rules set up at Redwood, with input from the school AND the community. One of the most obvious problems seen in this situation with the dress code is the continued undermining of the schools by parents whose focus when it comes to education is a bit skewed. Having gone to school doesn't make one an expert on running a school. "

" And the gangs can keep right on wearing their colors too. Don't you even understand what the school officials are trying to do? They are trying to keep our kids in the schools safe primarily from gangs! They are also trying to minimize the stupid upmanship that kids do with clothing! "

" The right to freedom of the press, ok. The right to freedom of religion, ok. The right to bear arms, ok. But, hmmmm I can't seem to put my finger on the one that says we have a right to wear whatever we want, whenever we want. Where do I find that one? "

" I completely agree with "really". The whole situation is meant to keep the kids safe. Parents need to start backing the school, you know - the one they blame for everything their child does wrong. It'd be so much simpler if the "gang members" were home schooled which would make their parents responsible for them as it should be. It's so sad that what color a child wears to school is even an issue, especially a safety issue - but it is and the school is trying to do something about it. Parents should be more concerned with what is happening in their own home and with their own children and support the rules of the schools. "

" I have to wear a uniform to work in the Emergency Room. Why are we encouraging our kids to act like spoiled baby boomers? "

" To Doctor-7/27/07--That was your choice to become a Doctor and wear a uniform,but there are many Doctor's that don't wear uniform's.Look around at the Nurse's and see who is wearing a nurse's cap to be proud of-NO-those rules sure changed.Are they spoiled baby boomers too? "

" None of you really get it. We go to a public school they should all have the same dress code, why should one school be more strict then another. They are just trying to make all public schools equal. "

" You're mixing apples and oranges. We can't drive as fast as we want harm others or spray graffiti because there are LAWS prohibiting that type of behavior. We have no LAWS controlling what we wear. Parents should be the ones to monitor their childrens wardrobe and they should be held to a standard of decency at school. Mr. Doctor, you are being paid to work at the emergency room, you made the choice to become a doctor and many doctors wear that "uniform" with much pride. What Redwood Middle School is doing does not fit that discription. These kids aren't not spoiled brats, they have a right to be heard. Let's face it, it's just a matter of time before the NVUSD gets this whole thing mashed right back into their own faces. I can't wait. "

" It is not about wearing what you want. It's about kids being kids with some minor guidelines. This is a public school and it has a strict dress code. The other 3 schools are much more lenient, why, because they have less gang and safety problems or is it because the other schools focus more on education and less on what the children are wearing. This is supposed to be about EDUCATION not DICTATORSHIP! Which is what this school is doing. They decide who to dress code, when and why? It is by no means even close to being consistent. Since when does florals, stripes, patterns and Tigger socks have to do with gang or safety. WAKE UP SOCIETY, THIS IS NOT ABOUT SAFETY OR GANGS, ITS ABOUT A SCHOOL WHO WANTS CONTROL OF OUR CHILDREN. My job is to parent and dress my children, theirs is to educate them. They like to use the word Safety ALOT!!! But this is about control for them and it's time to take the control back. I have no problem with no bag,sag or drag, no mid-driff showing, no underwear showing and no spagetti straps. I understand no promoting of gang affiliation, no alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs for a true safety or health but behind that it is way overbroad. "

" Gangs and not just a problem in schools. They are also a problem in parts of the City of Napa. Would the supporters of the Redwood dress code support a City ordinance that prohibits the wearing of tigger socks to the Chef's Market? I don't think so. "

" The "right" to what? I'm expected to go to work each day dressed as a professional. I am a reprsentative of my employer. You are a representative of your school. Grow up and live with it. What you do on your own time is where your "rights" begin. Very few enterprises want to hire some body pierced, tatooed, pants around your thigh creature; not to mention how our young ladies appear. That is not salable to an employer. Why? They go out of business as soon as they open. That makes you unemployed AND unemployable. You should be thankful that your school may be more experienced than the parents who allow you to offend yourself because of fashion. "

" For shame, Helen! You'd be OK with the school girls wearing skimpy bikinis to class? Let's have a little decorum. Everything has limits. "

" Wear the uniform. Wear your Tiger socks outside of school. It really is not that big of a deal. Considering how some children dress when they go to school - a uniform would be a welcomed sight. Maybe then our children would remember to be young ladies in gentlemen. Parents- start being parents and teach your kids to respect rules. "

" And those LAWS that you mention were set up by someone who for everyone else's good thought they were a good idea in order to protect and maintain order. The same reason the appropriate attire policy was put into effect. A synonym for LAWS might well be RULES or POLICIES. "

" Of course children ought to follow rules. Adults ought to follow rules, too! The adults who wrote/executed Redwood Middle School's dress code violated the law. The Constitution is the highest law in the land. Nobody, child or adult, gets to violate the Constitution. According to the Constitution, one person may stand against 300 million and win. Constitutional rights are not subject to a popularity contest. Those who criticize the children involved in this case often do so while defending the real law breakers. "

" to Adults....., whether they violated the constitution remains to be seen. At a great expense, I might add, for a rediculas lawsuit. "

" "Adults", please explain how the Constitution was supposedly violated??? "

" I agree with "no one gets it", but will continue to focus on decency and safety. I guess it is OK for girls to wear 4 inch platform shoes (yes, they do) and skirts up to wherever? Decency and safety, folks. No skirts that show your "cheeks", no blouses that would be better suited as belts and no underwear showing. The high shoes are not safe. I saw a high school girl trip and fall in the intersection in front of Napa High the other day after school. She was wearing 4 or 5 inch cork platforms and couldn't stand up on them. Took a good tumble, skinned her knee, got up, took off the shoes and continued on barefoot. If she had done that on stairs on campus, there would have been a frivilous lawsuit. We did OK in our sprayed on jeans which, by the way, covered everything, and our tank tops, which were also decent. We wore sandals or tennis shoes and were safe, comfortable and decent. Be comfortable, be safe, be stylish and be educated. Too much time wasted on this. "

" The first amendment gives all Americans the freedom of expression. The supreme court, in 1969, ruled that teachers AND students were protected by the first amendment and that public schools did not have the right to restrict student dress unless it was disruptive to the education process or a safety issue. There is an excellent web page(the moderator here doesn't allow links, sorry) that details dress code cases won and lost. In the cases won by school districts, the school districts demonstrated that the dress policy addressed an actual safety issue, such as gang activity. However, it is the school's burden to show evidence of a SUBSTANTIAL danger. It is also the schools burden to balance the individual's right to free expression against that danger. "