Thinking of going barefoot in school this year

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum, I've been reading around a bit but I thought I'd join.
I've walked around barefoot a lot in public, but I'm just starting to consider doing it with more permanence. This includes going barefoot in my high school once the new school year starts. I go to a pretty large (3000-ish) public school with a lot of security guards. I'm pretty sure there will be harrassment from them if I decide to do this, but I decided to check in the school rulebook to see if there's any rule against going barefoot that I would be violating.
Here's the section about dress code:

• Outwear (coats, gloves, jackets, and hats) is to be left in your locker during school hours.
• Headbands, hats or head coverings are not allowed, except for medical or religious reasons.
• Brief and revealing clothing are not appropriate in school. Examples include tank or halter
tops, garments with spaghetti straps or strapless garments; clothing that is “see-through,”
cut low, or exposes one’s midriff; or skirts that are shorter than 3-inches above the knee.
• Clothing that reveals undergarments (saggy pants, pants worn below the waist) is not permitted.
• Electronic belts are not allowed.
• Swimsuits and physical education uniforms should only be worn in appropriate classes.
• Clothing or accessories considered dangerous or threatening—studded wrist bands, bandolier
belts, etc.—are not permitted. Repeated violations may result in confiscation and disciplinary
action.
• Shoes that could jeopardize your safety (thongs or loose-fitting sandals) should not be worn.
• Costumes are not permitted.

There's no specific mention of a ban on bare feet, but do you think any of these rules could be applied against me (obviously not the electronic belts rule, but I just decided I'd leave the section unedited...)?

 

I think you may be able to get away with it.
If they try to do somthing about it you could always fight them on it.

 

I don't see why you would ask to be harassed.

 

i live in il too and when i mentioned going barefoot in school to a teacher they said something about it being illegal but i just tried to look stuff up and i couldn't find anything about it.
why would they say that thong sandals and other loose fitting sandals jeopardize safety?? going barefoot may also be along the same lines of loose fitting sandals as far as foot health? maybe.

 

If you go to a public high school you will lose. Unfortunately students in public school, even if over 18, do not have a lot of rights. If you push the issue they will simply add a rule that barefoot is not allowed. That being said, I say try it to bring attention to the issue. If they want to give you detention or something, refuse, saying that it was not in the book. If you agree to comply after the explicitly tell you not to go barefoot, they should not punish you in any way. Good luck.

 

Man, I get harassed like often when I try to go into grocery stores or whatever barefoot. I encourage you to do it, stretch the limits. They'll probably CREATE a new rule just for you.

 

I doubt you'll get in trouble, if you do, fight them!

 

How well is the dress code enforced? Do you ever see girls in spaghetti straps or halter tops walk around with impunity? For instance, when I was in high school, there was a chunky girl in my statistics class who wore a halter top and sat right in front of me. It was against the rules, but she appeared to do it with impunity. We had a couple of sheriff deputies as security, and the four principals (head/assistants) were always around, but you guys probably have more security than we had.

 

and of course if all else fails tell them its a religious thing....it works for me at stores in my town that try to give me crap

 

Don't worry about shoelessness in school. I was shoeless the entire year last year, I never got in trouble. Actually, not true - my english teacher made me wear a pair of sandals whenever I left the classroom so if I got in trouble she wouldn't get blamed. Or something like that.

Just don't go flaunting that you're barefoot and noone will care.

P.S. Bring a pair of shoes for chemistry.

 

i suspect that they are going to f**k you by means of a wide interpretation of the rule. you dont chicken out though, and do it ! at least try. then insist on the literal meaning of the rule. chances are they are not going to leave you alone. did you read "catch 22" ? there is no rule forbidding to go naked... and they cant confiscate your ass. or at least i hope so. last resort, wear them before going in, toss shoes as soon as you get outside.

 

I used to go barefoot in school. I hated shoes, (still do) and on days when it was warm enough that I wouldn't frostbite my toes walking to the portable classrooms, I'd drop my shoes in my locker & run around the school without them... EXCEPT for gym class & chemistry, for obvious reasons.

A few "tricks" I learned were that teachers couldn't tell if I was wearing shoes or not if I wore skirts or pants long enough to cover my feet. Also, so long as I didn't do anything to blatantly call attention to my bare feet most teachers didn't notice or care. If a teacher DID tell me to put my shoes back on, I would explain that they were in my locker & calmly explain how much class time it would take for me to walk back to get them & return. Since it was a HUGE school, it could be a full 10 minutes and most teachers weren't willing to have me waste that much time over a silly thing like shoes.

One other thing that I would use as an excuse was a messed-up toe. I had some serious problems with an ingrown toenail that just wouldn't grow right for a few years, and while I always kept it neat & clean, it usually looked red & swollen. Pointing to my poor swollen toe & saying "It HURTS to wear shoes!" (which WAS true, BTW) usually softened even the hardest teachers' hearts.

Good luck!
love,
mom

 

There are laws banning public nudity. As for going barefoot you should be fine, just be assertive about the fact that the rules don't ban it.

However be careful - wear shoes in chemistry labs, shop classes, and places were you need the added safety.

 

They probably will give you some shit.

I often took my shoes off in high school during lunch because I hung out in the courtyard- it feels a lot better in Florida when you're not wearing shoes. Although there were some parts of the school were I did not want to walk barefoot. Then again, the tiles in the hallways felt really cool on my feet.

I actually enjoyed high school a lot for little reasons like that. It also pays to be friendly with the administration and security.

I'd say go for it! Enjoy it! And if they do give you shit and you have to put your shoes back on, just take them back off when they're not looking.

 

There is an actual rule about it in most indiana schools I went to in my school days. But if your book doesn't say anything about it I'd say go for it. U just gotta know how to talk yourself outta stuff

 

I'm gonna start doing that.
We can wear flip flops at my school, so I'll just carry them around here and there

the schools in massachussets though, so it snows in like, november. oh well.

 

Best of the luck! I am sure you will succeed! Keep us informed, how about some pics of you barefooting at school?

We are with you!

 

That's a great story! Thanks for sharing your personal experience. Are you still a barefooter nowadays?

 

I think you can do it based upon your rulebook.

I actually got away with going to school barefoot every day for the last 2 months of my senior year, and my school's rulebook was written almost exactly like yours.

I decided to go barefoot to my 2nd period class after PE one day at the beginning of April because we were doing swimming so it kinda made me feel like giving it a shot. My 2nd period teacher for Biology was the same teacher for PE. He never said a word, and neither did any of the rest of my teachers that day.

I decided then that the next day of school I would leave shoes at home and go completely barefoot. I checked my school's rulebook which I might even still possess to this day in a box somewhere, and there was no specific mention of bare feet being banned.

I told my parents about my plans. My dad, being a former hippy, was all for it. My mom did not raise any objections either. So the next day I went to school 100% barefoot. I planned to use the rulebook's lack of specific language on the matter, and that I had my parent's permission if I got confronted.

Turned out not to be a problem, as no teacher ever gave me any grief over it. A couple of them asked me some questions from time to time, but never discouraged me. A few of the students gave me some smartass comments, but these subsided over time. After a couple of weeks, nobody gave me any shit. It was just accepted that I was always barefoot. Most of the other students were completely indifferent, and didn't seem to care one bit.

I even had a couple of interactions with the Principal, but he also never stopped me. I remember the first time was about a couple weeks into going barefoot. I was at my locker getting books between classes. After closing the locker, I turned and began walking down the hall towards my next class which was a computer literacy class if I remember correctly. Coming down the hall towards me was the Principal. I got really nervous. As I walked by I noticed him look me in th eye, look down at my feet for a second, then looked me back in the eye and smiled. He kept walking right on by and never said a word. Whew, what a relief! I actually felt triumphant after that. Kinda strange, but that is how I felt.

I had another time where I had to go to the office to talk to a councilor about possible colleges as graduation was just a month away. I had to wait in the office lobby for another student to get done. I knew the girl at the counter because she was in a couple of my classes and was office assitant for 6th period. She even made the comment about how I never wore shoes out loud. The Principal was in his office with the door open, and I could see him where I was seated, but again, he never seemed to give a damn about me being barefoot. When the councilor called me in he said something along the lines of, "no shoes today huh?" I just told him that I didn't wear shoes, and he just seemed to drop it at that and moved on to pushing various college programs on me.

I ended up going barefoot every single day for what was essentially all of April and May, with a week of June. Just wanted to share this with you to show that it is doable, and that you should give it a shot to find out. Maybe I was just really lucky that all my teachers and the principal were cool with it, and maybe you will be just as lucky!

I have read stories form other people who have also gotten away with it on these forums. I think ToolMaggot was her name from a couple years back. She also went to school barefoot and got away with it.

At least give it a shot. The very worst that can happen is that you are told no. You can take emergency shoes and stash them in your locker for the first day to give it a trial run by going to all yoru classes barefoot. If this goes off without a problem, then the next day leave your shoes at home and go barefoot the second day with no emergency shoes. After this if nobody has said anything and you have not had any hassles then you should be home free. Toss the shoes in the closet for good and just go barefoot 24/7 after that!