Table of Contents
Rhetorical Description
My persona is that of the head of the PTA. I represent all parents of students in the Salem-Keizer 24J school district. This statement was written on behalf of the dress code regulations and I am very obliged to the new codes and feel there are many benefits of incorporating it into the school district.
The audience is the members of the school board and any other concerned parents who showed up about the new dress code regulations. These PTA members decide the future for most of their children based on the decisions they make in PTA meetings.
The message that I am sending forward is that with a set of dress code regulations, parents will be able to have less stress on their shoulders having to worry about something happening to their children and also having to worry about their child being mistaken for a gang member.
127 our experts are availableright now
Gang Bangers
In 1996, Salem saw its worst case of gang violence ever. Almost everyday there is a new article in the paper about someone gang-related getting shot or a drive-by happening. Salem is a violent place right now and something needs to be done to bring down gang activity.
The new guidelines that the SK 24J school district has set forth rely on known gang affiliated clothing that the Salem Police Department has even deemed gang-related clothing. When taking two steps forward we must remember to take one step back and look at our town. Gang-infested. Just by looking at a youth’s attire, you can almost instantly tell if the child is in a gang or not. It does not come down to whether or not you have enough money to buy the clothes; it’s the type of clothes you are buying your child.
Clothes are definitely a popularity issue and many people want to have the top name brands. It is understandable that lower-income families have to shop at cheaper stores but that still should not mean that you let your child have free reign on buying his clothing. The guidelines set forth by the school are to protect your child from any possibility of being harmed or affiliated by any gang.
There has been much debate on what clothes are gang-related and what brands are not. A uniform dress code would solve confusion and in turn would have everyone wearing the exact same thing so there would be no lower class or upper class. I feel that breaking these status barriers would open new doors for learning and even help our children become more social with students they haven’t talked to before due to status-issues.
We must address the issues presented before us and make a decision based on how we would like our children’s lives to be for the rest of their educational life. We must put an end to this nonsense violence and run gang-activity out of our school district. Uniform dress codes are our first answer to a list of problems with gangs in our neighborhood.
Rhetorical Description
My persona is that of a PTA member who has a student that is enrolled in the 243 School District. I want the students to realize why their parents are making these decisions and see the truth behind the whole dress code policy.
The audience is high school students of the 24J School District. The students are very hesitant on the dress code policy and feel restricted by what they can wear now and that they are being picked on because of their individuality.
The message that I am trying to project is that of a positive one about how elders will respect you even more when it comes time to conform and you stick with it and become someone who is an upstanding citizen in the community.
Why Change?
Why change the dress code policy? Why change the way I want to dress? I am sure that many of you students are pondering the answer to these two questions and for good reason too. Why would the School District take away your right to be an individual? One thing that every student of life hears is that no matter what, “You have to grow up sometime”.
Take for example when you get your first job. Maybe some of you already have one and this will be even easier to understand. You know those ugly outfits you have to wear working at the fast food place, those are UNIFORMS. Believe it or not, uniforms are incorporated into everyday life in the real world when you grow up. You cannot wear saggy, baggy jeans to work with your shirt untucked and present yourself as someone who does not conform to society. You must take accountability for your actions and investigate the real reason behind the change.
Right now in your lives, the reason the dress code policy is taking effect is because too much gang violence has been sweeping our town. We are not making rules just so you can break them; we are making rules so that they can save you. Everyday a family loses a member of its family due to gang violence and we are trying to make sure that statistic is not you.
We are all aware of the violence that takes place in school and the 24J School District is just taking the necessary steps to curb the violence and get rid of any gang-related clothing, symbols and any other affiliations to the cause that is taking so many young lives these days.
Just remember to take a step back and look at the whole picture presented in front of you and remember that every decision you make affects your life at some point. While the dress code seems unfair, it is helping save many students lives and is helping towards achieving a better social-learning environment.
