School District Says Students Can’t Wear Pajamas Or Slippers For Online Classes

(TMU) – In Springfield, Illinois, kids will be taking many of their classes online when schools open back up, but administrators are still attempting to control what the children are wearing while they are at home.

The town’s school district will still be forcing students to follow the dress code, even if they are home in front of the computer. Students will not be able to wear pajama pants, slippers, hats, bandannas or sunglasses while taking classes from home.

Jason Wind, the district’s director of student support, said that, “We don’t need students in pajamas and all those other things while on their Zoom conferences.”

The students will also be expected to be “sitting up out of bed, preferably at a desk or table.”

District spokeswoman, Bree Hankins, insisted that the parents had a say in the new guidelines, and said that they aren’t threatening any serious punishments for rule-breakers.

“Our hope is that students approach remote learning as they would in a classroom setting, to the extent possible given each student’s individual circumstances. However, we understand the interpretation of the dress code in a remote learning environment will differ from a normal school setting,” Hankins said.

However, some parents have objected to the requirements, suggesting that it needlessly creates more work for them.

Christy Schmidt, a mother who has two children go to school in Springfield expressed her frustration with the policy to the New York Times.

“How much hassle are you going to give the parent with four kids, working a full-time job trying to support their kids, and their kid attended the Zoom meeting, but he was in pajamas?”  Schmidt said.

School will begin in Springfield on August 31st, with a rotating schedule. Students will attend school two days a week, and then continue their classes online for the remaining 3 days of the school week.