Does wearing pajamas inhibit a student’s ability to learn?

According to one Vermont high school principal, the answer is yes.

Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, Vt. announced its new dress code earlier this week. Among the list of newly prohibited clothing are pajamas and slippers.

“One of the things that made us want to re-evaluate [the dress code] is it was to a point kids were coming to school wearing pajamas and slippers. It’s a safety hazard, certainly with slippers, and it also says something to the work ethic. Like anything else, if you get yourself into a mental state about something you’re going to be more prepared to work, and if you come to school in pajamas you’re prepared for something else,” associate principal David Beriau told the Bennington Banner.

There is certainly a debate to be had over what is appropriate at school. But calling pajamas a safety hazard seems a bit far fetched.

And if a school is going to ban pajamas for fear that kids will take classes less seriously if they are wearing comfortable clothes, then should sweatpants and sweatshirts be banned, too? How about wool-lined Ugg boots?

It’s a slippery slope Mount Anthony Union High School.

What do you think? Should kids be allowed to wear pajamas to school?