"Higgins disagrees. She thinks dress codes teach students what they will be facing when they graduate from high school or college and start a profession."

No.

Any employer trying to shame them by offering a humiliating set of clothing would have their butts sued out of existence.

The two options outside of prison school are ask them to go home/have clothes sent or start some sort of disciplinary process ( often both. )

And the disciplinary process would start by observing that the dress-code was read and signed by them PRIOR to the first day it was required of them. ( Clearly the school has no such thing on file for the girl. )

The shame suit would be an obvious lawyer-magnet because it is not really a 3rd option which they hope isn't used, but is the coerced preference.

Nobody wants to do make-up work in school or lose wages. Further, "choosing" to absent yourself demonstrates a lack of seriousness about your scholastic or vocational goals.

So the immediacy of the shame-suit and the incentive to spend as little time away from goal-oriented activity makes it a coerced choice. And hence no employer would dare to try it.

As with many of the cases of the bullying of schoolkids; this is not about creating an environment in which their options reflect RL options. Its actually about enforcing obedience rather than teaching them the realities and responsibilities of at-will employment.

The first of which is that the school employer needs to make going to work and wearing a uniform more attractive than options which allow you to keep your street clothing.

And isn't the real definition of workplace success becoming the kind of entrepreneur who can wear flip-flops and prestressed denim when they address their employees?

If there is a dress code at Pixar ( aside from no nudity ) I have yet to see it.

Dante