The Lufkin High School dress code is unfair.

How is it that we can wear shorts that show our knees but we can’t wear pants with holes? Both collarbones and shoulders have been called “too distracting” in the classroom, and kids are being sent home for the clothes chosen for them by a parent.

Because of these punishments, students often miss lessons to have their hemlines measured or to wait for a change of clothes to be brought to school by a parent.

All these new school rules have created a stressful atmosphere, and people feel like they’re being restricted in so many different ways. It creates stress and anxiety for them to fit certain guidelines.

Your appearance is your expression to others about who you are and what you stand for. The way you look reflects your self-image, attitude, confidence and state of mind, but we cannot express ourselves with this dress code.

Many feel the dress code targets more women’s clothing items than men’s. It reinforces the notion that women aren’t equal, and that they are a distraction, that their body or their look is more important than their brains.

We want to be treated like people, not subordinates. What about sports, like the girls’ fast-pitch softball team? Every now and then, the players come in school in their uniforms. Their shorts fit the dress code, but what if the volleyball team had to do this? Volleyball shorts are extremely tight and short — for good reason. They are short so they coordinate with your knee pads.

Another big problem is that the teachers are not in sync about the dress code. For example, one girl gets dress-coded for her shorts. The next day, another girl — about her height — wears the same shorts and is not dress-coded. It gives students mixed messages.

We disagree with this dress code for a lot of reasons. A big one is it’s not effective — and it won’t be until it’s fair and equal to all students.

While a dress code is supposed to make the school environment more conducive to learning, it frequently does the opposite.