COBB COUNTY, Ga. — As students and staff gear up to head back into the classroom, one Cobb County middle school is implementing a new dress code.
A group of students at East Cobb Middle School went on a crusade to persuade Principal Leetonia Young to add leggings to the approved attire list.
They pushed for the measure starting in March, intentionally during Women's History Month.
"Because boys' dress code isn't that restrictive and its mostly toward girls so we wanted to do something during International Women's Month that just girls can do," Eduarda Sitzman, a member of the Beta Club Girls, a student organization that focuses on giving back to the community.
Sitzman along with a group of changemakers created a campaign to get a Leggings Day, to take a break "from those boring jeans," their campaign said. However, their request came with a catch -- people who wanted to ditch their jeans for a day had make a donation to the Atlanta Women's Foundation.
Their pitch was that in order to get a break from the girls' dress code, girls should be willing to help other girls and women in their community in ways that they need.
It didn't take much convincing to get Young on board after delivering their presentation.
The girls were awarded a spirit day dedicated to wearing leggings and they managed to raise and donate $800 to the foundation.
Though the girls buttoned up their campaign and were happy with their success, Young said she was impressed with their approach and decided to take it a step further and add it permanently to the dress code.
"I also ask kids all the time to advocate for themselves," Young said. "Advocate for yourself in a respectful manner and these girls really set a precedent about that."
When the group heard the news, they said they were ecstatic.
East Cobb Middle School students go back to class Aug. 1. Some students plan on making history with their first day of school outfit and sport a pair of leggings.