Whether you’re getting dressed for school, hanging out with friends, or just relaxing at home, hoodies are a comfortable and practical way to dress. That’s one of the reasons they’re so popular amongst teenagers. A survey taken by 183 students from Briar Woods High School shows that 87% of teenagers wear hoodies at least once a week. Within the same survey, students shared that comfort and style are the two main reasons they wear hoodies.

Not everyone shares that opinion, though. Jessica Alveraz, an LCPS school board officer, claims that hoodies promote laziness in adolescents.

“[Students] can wear whatever they want at home,” Alvarez states, “but at school, they should be dressed appropriately. If they arrive at class looking sloppy, it will reflect in their work.”

Unfortunately for the students of Loudoun County, this isn’t just a baseless claim. In 2016, National Geographic published a study, The Effects of Clothing on Work Ethic. The article involved two groups of fifteen-year-olds from Cedar Oak High School in Ohio. The first group was dressed in office attire, while the second was given hoodies and sweatpants. Both groups were instructed to write a narrative essay, and were told it would be given a mock grade. The most common letter grade given within the first group was an A, and the numerical average was a 95%. However, the second group’s most common letter grade was a B-, and their numerical average was 82%.

Alvarez’s proposal to ban hoodies within school buildings has surprisingly gained a lot of traction. While the school board hasn’t come to a decision yet, the votes are in her favor.

On the flip side, students are outraged.

“That’s ridiculous!” Amanda Coffner, a student at Briar Woods says on the subject, “Hoodies are just clothes. They’re not going to magically make us work less.”

The hoodie debate is in the hot seat in Loudoun County, and people have a lot of opinions. Amanda and her friend, Brandon Effton, brought this to social media. The two have started an Instagram page speaking out against what they claim is an infringement on their rights. So far, they have eleven thousand followers and nearly a million likes.

Despite their efforts, it’s likely that soon LCPS students will no longer be allowed to wear hoodies to school.