TOWAMENCIN – After an abnormally warm December and January and a not-so abnormally cold February, spring has finally sprung in Pennsylvania, and the weather is climbing into the upper 60s and 70s.

With the change in weather, students have packed away the sweaters and leggings and pulled out the tank tops and shorts. This has the North Penn community – parents and teachers alike – raising their eyebrows, however, for a majority of the outfits have been described as “revealing more than wanted”.

The current North Penn dress code details that students must have pants and dresses below their fingertips, tank tops with straps four-finger widths or more, and no hats, except on hat days.

Due to public backlash as a result of an overwhelming amount of students failing to adhere to the current dress code, a new, stricter dress code will be go into effect on Monday, April 4^th, 2016.

The new dress code will be as follows:

• ATHLETIC AND CASUAL SHORTS: All are hereby banned, except if those pants are needed in gym class or an after school sport. Any and all shorts worn in school must be denim or khaki (no black, pink, white, gray, etc.), must reach the knee, and must be free of rips or tears – intentional or not. The inside of the pocket must not hang below the bottom of the pants.

• YOGA PANTS AND LEGGINGS: Due to their tightness and revealing nature, all are prohibited on school property. Long denim or khaki (no black, pink, white, gray, etc.) pants are acceptable, but they too must be free of rips or tears – intentional or not.

• SKIRTS AND DRESSES: The bottom of the skirt/dress must reach mid-calf or ankles. Measurements will be taken to find everyone’s mid-calf, so no one will be able to pass with a shorter skirt.

• T-SHIRTS: They are forbidden. For the females, all and any shirts worn must be dressy shirts, and the sleeves must meet the elbow. For the males, all and any shirt worn must be a dress shirt accompanied by a tie – tie clips are not required but strongly encouraged.

• SHOES: Sneakers, slippers, crocs, and open toed shoes are banned. Appropriate footwear includes: stylish flats, high heels, loafers, and dress shoes. All shoes must be firmly fastened to one’s foot, or if the shoe falls off, it becomes the property of North Penn High School.

• HEAD ACCESSORIES: At no point shall any hair accessories be worn on one’s head. That includes: hats, headbands, stylish barrettes, and bobby pins. On top of that, all hair must be neatly groomed – ponytails, buns, and braids will not be acceptable, unless it’s gym class or an after school sport.

In an effort to enforce this dress code, North Penn has put together the Fashion Police to monitor students’ outfits daily. North Penn fashion teacher Ms. Joelle Townsend will be the chief, and she will be accompanied by several law enforcement officials from the surrounding areas.

“I’m honored that [Townsend] asked me to be a member of this squad. It’s going to be a challenge because, you know, high school kids don’t like to listen,” said law enforcement official “John Smith” who wished to remain anonymous “I’m confident, though, that after a few days, [the students] will understand that we mean business.”

Every morning, members of the Fashion Police will be positioned at the front doors of the building, inspecting each outfit before students enter the building. Throughout the day, the squad will roam the halls looking for rebels who believed they could beat the system.

“I know fashion, so I will most definitely be able to tell if a student’s skirt is even a centimeter above their mid-calf,” explained Townsend “If a student thinks [this team] won’t catch them breaking the rules, they’re mistaken.”

The Fashion Police will be the main source of dress code enforcement, but team members will not be the only ones able to write up students. All teachers and faculty will have citation slips that will be used to refer students to the enforcement team.

Penalty for breaking the dress code will be as follows:

• 1^st time student is caught: six detentions per clothing infraction.

• 2^nd time student is caught: eight detentions per clothing infraction, plus one Saturday School per two clothing infractions.

• 3^rd time student is caught: ten detentions per clothing infraction and one Saturday School per clothing infraction. The student will also have to serve time in fashion boot camp, where the student will measure, cut, and sew an appropriate school outfit.

On top of all that, when a student is caught breaking the code, they will be required to change their outfit. The illegal outfit will become property of North Penn and then be donated to the less fortunate.

“It is our hope that be enforcing this new dress code, we will not only make North Penn a more professional work environment, but we will also help out those in need,” described Townsend.