For high school students, the dress code is a touchy subject. For senior Emily Oliver, the increasingly strict rules about wearing pajama pants to school was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“This rule is ridiculous,” Oliver said. “Wearing pajama pants in no way affects normal school activities.”

In the winter months, pajama pants can provide a soft solution for the school’s cold students.

“I love wearing pajama pants,” she said. “They’re so warm, comfortable and easy to wear. They make me feel at home.” 

Junior Anjani Sharma agrees.

“I don’t wear pajamas to school that often,” she said. “But when I do I think ‘I should do this more.’”

Students such as Sharma are upset with the restriction of a seemingly mundane article of clothing. To her, pajama pants seem wholesome and harmless.

“Pajama pants are not at all revealing,” she said. “I don’t understand why this would cause any sort of issue. People wear loungewear all the time without any problems.”

Within the school’s planner, a dress code is provided which outlines some specific violations such as “exposed midriffs” and “tank tops with straps less than three fingers length wide.” Even with the notes about prohibited sleepwear, Sharma said there is a difference between clothing that pushes a boundary and clothing that simply provides comfort.

“No one has ever called my pajama pants ‘inappropriate’,” she said. “Being comfortable at school helps me learn better. And that’s what West Shore is all about.”

By Olivia Shary