I can't imagine what difference it could possibly make to a child's ability to learn. And who gets to decide what constitutes "pajamas"? Do sweats and an oversized tee get a pass?

I suppose they want the kids to have a routine, just like getting ready for in person school. To be up and dressed and ready to go/pay attention/participate, not just rolling out of bed and turning on the computer/zoom meeting.(Says she who is still in her nightgown, lol).

I'm old school and think that the way you dress influences the way you think and behave. The whole dress for success idea.

However, I think that there are many different learning styles and it's one of those things that you should be able to wear whatever you want since you are at home.

I have no kids so my opinion is of questionable value but it seems like a good idea to get dressed and ready for school whether you’re remote or in person. When I occasionally worked at home I always felt weird if I didn’t get dressed and out of my robe. I’m not the kind of person to make it a cause to object to stuff like this. I can understand the intention so just get over it and do it. There are so many much more important things to worry about and expend energy on.

I've been working remotely since March. Many days in pajama bottoms. My productivity is unaffected by my attire.

Seems a weird thing for a school to care about. So many parents are barely hanging on trying to balance full time work and full time childcare, that I can't see making one more potential battle over something like this.

My hat is off to all you parents out there trying to do it all.

Patriceny, what about you working in pajama tops? On Zoom?

My kiddo is all grown up and things have changed a lot since she was small, but I agree with that policy. I think it’s important for the kids to get dressed as well and I agree with the idea of no pajamas regardless of what Patriceny or any other adult does. :c) Maybe their location of learning has changed, but requiring kids to get dressed is still keeping some of the routine and normalcy they are accustomed to. One day they will have to return to school, the fact that they don’t have to revert back to having to get dressed is one less thing they have to readjust to. And, I don’t know the right way to articulate this, but I do think it helps with self esteem as well.

I think wearing pajamas for class is disrespectful to the other students and the teacher. My HS student granddaughter, and her girl friends, have discovered Cute baby doll pjs. I hope they don’t become zoom attire.

Funny thing, in my grandkids school, before remote learning was a thing, they had pajama day once a semester, where kids wore pjs to school.

Have you seen what students and many teachers have been wearing to class the last several years? Flip flops, no socks, saggy jeans, bare midriffs, lots of cleavage, short shorts. Pajamas might be an improvement. Even in my daughter's extremely expensive private school where.the.students are.dropped off by their limo drivers. Teachers there are not allowed to wear jeans or flipflops, but that's about it.

I think it is a good idea. There is always going to be somebody pushing the envelope.

Parents have enough to deal with right now with kids at home learning. As long as they have shirts on who cares?? When I can pick my battles I do. This battle is not one I would pick.

Rory, I wonder if it’s like you say, as long as they have shirts on? Not PJ tops (though it can be hard to tell . . .)

Isn't it enough that their lives are totally disrupted? My 6 year old needs to start school! My middle schooler needs her friends! My high school junior needs to prepare for college and participate in all the extra curricular activities! Everything has been taken away from my precious babies and now you won't let them wear pajamas for zoom school? MY little darling can wear what he/she wants!

I know this community, bpath and can hear all of this now. Now, do I think a dress code for zoom school is necessary? Maybe not for some kids, but overall, I see it as a good thing.

Look it up people. Any and all experiments /surveys will tell you how you dress matters. It matters to your self respect as well as how seriously you take the situation you are in. Pajamas, students in bed during zoom absolutely affected the zoom and the learning of those particular students. Anyone who says different didn't learn enough to know what they missed. It's been tested and proven, uniforms create an atmosphere of learning and respect in schools. Facts don't matter. They don't matter to the point of disorder and free for all atmospheres in schools. Mom, Dad it's YOUR tax money being flushed by so many disrespectful lazy learners. You can't compare adult behavior to adolescent behavior. YOUR productivity for work may not have been affected that does not mean a child's would not be. Two totally different animals!!

Without reading the comments I think the kids shouldn't be in pj's. It's no different than adults having to dress up (DS1 does) while he works from home, and "goes" to conferences, etc. PJ's will detract from learning because most Pj's are kind of goofy anyway.

I also think having them do the usual morning ritual of eating, brushing teeth, getting dressed will put them in the mood for learning.

When our admin said I had to enforce the no pjs rule with my class, my first thought was “who cares what they wear”. However, once I started our zoom routine, I realized that it was important that we maintain some sort of routine that made it still seem like school. I transferred many of our usual routines to zoom and always started our meetings with a friendly reminder to sit up straight, focus on the screen, and get ready to learn. there were times someone forgot and showed up in pjs. I wouldn’t mention it but the expectation was that this was different than hanging out and playing video games. The other thing I realized (at least with my age group) was that undergarments are not always present under PJs and young Kids are so squirmy and always pulling up their clothes, more gets displayed than youd like.

I also think having them do the usual morning ritual of eating, brushing teeth, getting dressed will put them in the mood for learning.

I agree. My eldest is in college, middle on a gap year, youngest in private HS. The private HS dress code remains the same as it is in person.

When I do a work call, even a non-Zoom one, I have to be dressed, and fairly nicely. I can't explain exactly why.

I personally can't get anything done until I get dressed in the morning. I haven't worked in 15 years, haven't left the house since March, but I still get dressed. I don't apply makeup or even wear a bra most days, but I do dress including shoes.

Things change. I'd never wear pajamas to a ZOOM lunch with my friends, but times have changed. It's only been 120 years since women stopped wearing bustle and corsets! some of you may remember the outrage of girls wearing pants to school in the 1970s. Boys couldn't wear jeans or "tennis shoes" to school and certainly No Visible Tatoos! Now few women wear stockings or girdles. Every day is casual friday.

Heck, most kids don't sleep in pajamas or nightgowns anyway, but sweat pants and t-shirts. Don't sweat the small stuff. Yes, rituals and routines are important, but they are more important to some than to others.

There are positive psychological reasons for dressing for school. The child will learn about appearance and hygiene and the social implications of looking decent. It definitely helps with self-esteem. It's all part of the learning process getting them ready for the real world years from now. Every little bit counts. :)

I suppose school districts have to remind students no cleavage and no bare chests (boys), but how much do you really see on a Zoom video of an entire classroom? Distance learning has bigger problems than dress code.

This was the language we are being asked to use in our syllabus statement:

"Digital Platform Engagement: Whether we meet in person or on a digital platform, we are in a professional community. As professionals, we are all expected to: show up on time, be prepared for our collective work, be appropriately dressed, and limit distractions in our individual workspaces. Please keep your video on, mute yourself when you are not speaking, and focus your attention on the speaker."

That being said, being properly dressed means various things. I often will wear my department polo shirt on Zoom meetings. That is super easy. All our students have the same shirt, and we tell them this is always the minimum. If we are doing lab, they do likely need to be dressed for activity so this means workout wear. Yeah, I need to figure out how all that is going to work, and I have about two weeks. My lecture and lab was just converted from hybrid to online synchronous. But the challenge is someone has poor internet access and can't appear on video. Not sure what I will end up doing to modify the activity. I think I need to contact the online learning office. Even my department chair finds that if she appears on video, she crashes.

But I was watching CNN last night, and I was thinking about the people who had to be professionally dressed to appear live at 11 p.m. on a Friday night!

Bpath, I wear t-shirts to bed...and for work now :) My camera only picks up above my shoulders so there isn't much difference shown no matter what I wear.

I'm most productive when I'm comfortable. I've been a whirlwind of activity since March. All the while barefoot and usually in sweatpants. My employer is pleased and I'm thrilled. One good thing that's come out of this is it's going so well I may never have to go back in an office.

But I was watching CNN last night, and I was thinking about the people who had to be professionally dressed to appear live at 11 p.m. on a Friday night!

But only from the waist up! We've all seen the pics of them in their underwear. 😀. My professional sons wear ties and jackets for their meetings with sweats or shorts and bare feet for their ZOOMers. One daughter says it's all about the hair and collar unless it's a day in court, another says her school is installing panoramic cameras in the classrooms so the teacher dress code applies.

All I know for sure is battles about proper attire have been going on forever in schools and the workplace. We've gone from corsets and long skirts for girls and jackets and ties for boys, white gloves and hats with veils to go shopping, to sweats and flip flops in schools and public places. Will you be wearing pantyhose or nylons under your skirt or dress? A "Foundation" garment? We have all been through a world of change that never stops changing. We are all adapting. That's the real world we are preparing students for. Maybe we will return to more formal every day clothing some day, maybe we won't. I wore spanx and stockings to my children's weddings because I am old, but the brides and bridesmaids didn't under their gowns. Shocking!

Re work calls: I'm much more concerned with how people, adult professionals to be specific, conduct themselves during Zoom meetings than with what they're wearing. I couldn't tell you what anyone I've ever Zoomed with was wearing, but I do recall the person who ate and drank during the call, the one who conversed back and forth with her spouse at a distance about the clothes in the dryer, and the one who actually audibly stated (I kid you not), "dumb b!tch" as another participant asked repeated questions during a training session for about 40 people. Mute your mic, people! 😬

Another vote for clothing not pajamas. I agree with Mtn. Getting dressed puts you in a certain mindset.

These kids are old enough to get up, have breakfast, take a shower and get dressed. It’s not that difficult to put a t shirt on. They can certainly cheat and keep pj bottoms on.

Maybe we need to define "pajamas."

Yes, I agree that a certain decorum is necessary, including breakfast for those who eat it, a shower either before bed or school, being upright rather than lying in bed, wearing tops that don't reveal too much, no eating in class.

My teacher kids expect that virtual school will be different this year because they and their students have had time to prepare. In the spring everyone was thrust into chaos. My kids' schools have given virtual a lot of thought and preparation. They think their students will take things seriously now because this is the current normal, whereas in the spring nobody knew which end was up or for how long. Of course they expect some discipline problems and Will have to learn new ways of handling them. It's going to be hard on everyone, parents, teachers, staff and students, but we can do it.

So...taking it from the kids to the adults...can I just say that I HATE it when I see a grown man or woman walking through the grocery store in their pajamas. I hate the way Jimmy Fallon looks now in studio now that there is no live audience. I think it lacks in a lot of ways, but mostly it tells me that the person I’m looking at seemingly has no self respect.

Daily routines and learning how to properly respond to guidlines from their school is a part of growing up and helps to prepare kids for adulthood and jobs.

There was something about this on our local news yesterday. At least one school system here has the same policy. My husband did not get it LOL. I totally agree!! It's no different than how I feel myself. I get dressed (not pjs), do something with my hair, put on a bit of make-up and I am much more motivated to get on with my day. Not to mention, I am prepared if I have to run out or someone drops by, etc. I think the kids will feel more in school mode if they are dressed. I agree with Lukki about adults out in pjs. Plus, I am thinking the older the kids are, they more concern there might be about the kids dressing inappropriately. Just get up and get some clothes on!

Sloppiness is a different matter. I think one can look fine in sweats or shorts or even flip flops, as long as one is "put together." Neat and clean, hair brushed, trimmed beards, etc. I have never ever seen anyone, not even a kid, in a store in "pajamas." Like I said before, maybe we should define "pajamas."

When I do a work call, even a non-Zoom one, I have to be dressed, and fairly nicely. I can't explain exactly why.

Me too. I don't feel switched on if I am not dressed, and groomed properly. My children would not dream of wearing their PJs anywhere in public or on camera. They have a very strong boundary between public and private, even online.

Two observations. I have a teacher friend who had to repeatedly tell her elementary boy students to put on shirts during zoom classes. (Also to stop jumping on the bed.) This was in a fairly affluent school district. Clearly, some kind of communication about minimum standards of dress was needed.

I work in an elementary school and we have been doing our in school summer program for the last month or so. One day we were outside on the playground and I noticed another class obviously in their pajamas. I said to our kids, "Look, Mrs. X's class must be having pajama day". Three of my kids said, "I'm wearing what I wore to bed last night". I looked and they were wearing basketball shorts, sweats, tees, one even had on a pull-on skirt. Okay. Wow.

Some years ago one of our county judges issued a guideline for appearing before their court: no pajamas.

I have worked from home for 12 years and I basically own only "comfort" clothes, which are pajama-esque. It has not impeded my productivity or ability to make a very good living.

Many of my fellow freelancers indicate they do like to get up, get dressed and sit at a desk. Personally, for me, one of the major benefits of working at home is that I can be in comfort clothing on my porch swing or by the pool all day. I don't even have a desk (well, I have a decorative one, not a functional one).

I think it depedns on your personality. I don't think the school should have a one-sized fits all approach as they don't know people's situation. For some parents who may be out of jobs right now, it may be cheaper not to have to buy school clothing...

I lived in Dallas during the Texas boom of the 80s. My hotel had a western theme, so Fridays were decreed Western Wear Day for non-uniformed employees. Prairie skirts, boots, bolo, etc. It all went well for a year or two, but there was a gradual change from Lee jeans to Jordaches, prairie skirts to slacks, western shirts to polos, basically becoming Casual Friday — and this was before Casual Friday became a thing. So the practice was discontinued and we dressed professionally thereafter.

There‘s a reason care homes usually insist that residents get dressed in the morning. They feel better, and look better, and make everyone else feel better, too.

I can see that for school, it might be necessary to have, if not a dress code, at least a standard. It really bothered me that my son’s 2nd grade teacher, just out of college, dressed for work like she was running Saturday morning errands, in hoodie and leggings.

I watch the Today show, and am on the same wavelength as Craig Melvin: dress for work, no matter where you are working. I feel the same about school: dress for class, no matter where you are attending class from.

Pajamas in public - NO! Just no!

I can't honestly say that I feel better if dressed as though I'm ready to be in public. The first thing I do when I get home daily is remove my makeup and put on my comfortable clothes. It feels so much more like ME. I agree that there is no longer a one size fits all, and do believe that a good number of parents are unable to buy school clothes this year, and their children should not be made to feel as though they are doing something wrong because of that. Certainly different school districts have different parameters. And while I don't think little boys should attend virtual school shirtless, I can see absolutely no harm in a Batman pajama top or something of that sort. I would imagine our own personal experiences greatly enter into our opinions on the matter.

I don't think asking kids to get out of PJs is tantamount to requiring anyone to buy anything. Yes, it is asking parents (many of whom are put upon) to do one more thing, but it's easier than running to find shoes and catch the bus.

And I think comfortable clothing is fine, especially since at least in public schools that has always been the case. I think it's kinda funny that DD's school has the same dress code in their hybrid format. She doesn't much care and likes to start her school day online much the same as she would in person.

But if a kid is "attending class" in the PJs, i think it's gross and frankly, borderline rude. I mean, if they are in what they slept in, then their clothes are dirty, in my book. Eww.

For kids who have outgrown clothing over the summer, it could be problematic. I'm not saying it's likely a rampant problem, but certainly could have an affect for some. I also don't think little children in pajamas means "dirty", necessarily. Heck, many of us have worn pajamas pretty much round the clock during the pandemic, and I think it's safe to say we are probably clean enough. 😉

I guess I'm just envisioning that a lot of kids are wearing pajamas because they just woke up...

Anyway, my 2cents. YMMV. Luckily my kids' vanity exceeds even their laziness!

I can’t understand why people think it’s ok for students to attend elearning classes in such a relaxed way because putting clothing on Each morning is a struggle for families during this time. For those who have lost income, I can understand they may not be able to afford new school clothes but my bet is that most have tee shirts and shorts.

Students are old enough to dress themselves. The majority of parents can say, wake up, wash your face, Brush you teeth, eat some breakfast and be at the computer at 7:50 am.

Around here school start times are the same if attending in person or remotely. Those attending remotely are saving travel time so should have plenty of time to put clothes on.

Sometimes I think there are more Spikes in the world.

Ya know, if it’s truly a hardship to have any “school clothes“ you can put on in the morning so be it. But if it’s another “I’ll do what I want and you can’t make me do anything else” then stop it. That‘s the kind of mentality that has contributed to our inability to control Covid in the US.

What I care about in people is how they conduct themselves and treat other people. Honesty, integrity, keeping their word, doing their fair share - all of those things matter to me, whether it's a friend, spouse, or work colleague.

What strips of fabric someone puts on their body barely registers on me. Clean, no smell, and no offensive slogans are about all I care about. Thank God I chose a career that cares about my mind, not what I look like.

I am not saying that they shouldn't have clothes on or be sitting up (as opposed to laying in bed) but who is to say what "pajamas" even are? I don't own a pair of pajamas. I sleep in a tee shirt and underwear. When I get up I brush my teeth and wash my face and put on a pair of yoga pants. After I eat breakfast I go into my home office and work. I have been doing this for 15 years. I work better and it's much more tolerable when I am comfortable. If I zoom you can see my face and the top of my shoulders.

It seem to me the school is just letting everyone know that they need be dressed. Little kids might actually like putting "school clothes" on. My DS is 16 and he doesn't have "school clothes", he has clothes and soccer clothes. He will be doing hybrid the 1st semester with 3 days on-line. As long as he gets up and is present and learning and has a shirt on I am good with that.

I haven’t read all the comments, but I absolutely do believe in school kids being dressed for school, even if it is via remote learning. Pants and shirt for sure. Ok shoes might be optional for indoors.

Jist think if a kid is sick, for example with a cold, they can still participate in online learning. They might not feel 100% but can still listen in and participate. I always feel better if I make an effort to at least put on a T-shirt and sweatpants if I’m feeling a little off.

Wasn't that same post under the name Donald Brown earlier today?

Amanda Begay?

Who makes up this cr@p. Sounds like Art Vandelay or Regina Phalange.

Just FYI, Begay is a common Navajo surname. :-)

Thanks Ida, so interesting! Makes sense since it would be phonetic.