Preserving a beneficial learning environment and assuring the safety and well-being of all students are primary concerns of the Board. The Board believes that the responsibility for the dress of a student rests with the student and his/her parents/guardians and that appropriate attire contributes to a productive learning environment.
Student dress shall only be regulated when, in the judgment of school administrators, there is a reasonable expectation that:
- a health or safety hazard shall be presented by the student’s dress or appearance, including possible membership in a gang or hate group;
- damage to school property shall result from the student’s dress; or
- a material or substantial disruption of the educational process will result from the student’s dress or appearance.
School staff will ensure dress code procedures and practices are administered in a consistent and equitable way and that those practices do not lead to an increase or reinforcement of the marginalization or oppression of any group based on race, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, cultural observances, national origin, household income, or body type/size. Any school dress code enforcement actions will have minimal impact on loss of educational time.
However, clothing that is worn must not cause a material or substantial disruption of the educational process or have caused such disruption in the past. Clothing must be suitable for all scheduled classroom activities. All clothing must cover the buttocks, chest, and groin areas. All students must be easily identifiable by school personnel and cameras.
Students may wear items in the following non-exhaustive list, so long as these items do not cause a material or substantial disruption of the educational process as outlined below:
- Hats, hoodies, and religious or cultural headwear so long as the face is visible to school staff and cameras.
- Tank tops, including spaghetti straps, strapless shirts and dresses.
- Shorts, pants, dresses, and skirts that cover chest, buttocks, groin, and undergarments.
For the purposes of this procedure, a material or substantial disruption of the educational process will be found to exist when clothing contains or depicts:
- Violent language or images, inclusive of jewelry;
- Images, innuendo, or language depicting weapons, drugs, tobacco, nicotine or vapes, alcohol related messages (or any other illegal item or activity);
- Hate speech, profanity, sexual innuendo, or pornography;
- Symbols or language that creates a hostile or intimidating environment based on any protected class or affects the attendance of another student; and/or
- Gangs (inclusive of bandanas or other items that signify gang association).
Reference
