Student Dress Code

All students, whether in-person or remote learners, are expected to give proper attention to personal cleanliness and to dress appropriately for school and school functions. Students and their parents have the primary responsibility for acceptable student dress and appearance. Teachers and all other district personnel should exemplify and reinforce acceptable student dress and help students develop an understanding of appropriate appearance in the school setting.

A student’s dress, grooming and appearance, including hair style/color, jewelry, make-up, and nails, shall:

1. Be safe, appropriate, and not disrupt or interfere with the education process.
2. Clothing should not expose the midriff (front and back), lower abdominal area, gluteal area or chest, and students may not wear clothing through which these areas of the body are visible.
3. Ensure that underwear and undergarments are completely covered with outer clothing, nor shall clothing contain any holes, rips, tears, or sheer portions allowing underwear or undergarments to be seen through clothing.
4. Include footwear at all times. Footwear that is a safety hazard will not be allowed.
5. Not include the wearing of hats or head coverings in the buildings except for a medical or religious purpose or designated school activities during the academic day.
6. Not include messages or images that are lewd, vulgar, obscene, contain sexually explicit messages, (including messages that are innuendos or have double-meanings), and/or libelous or denigrate others on account of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
7. Not promote and/or endorse the use of alcohol, tobacco or illegal substances (as defined in this Code) and/or encourage other illegal or violent activities.
8. Not be clothing, jewelry, symbols, etc. that are determined by the Administration to indicate membership in a group that exists to intimidate or threaten the safe and orderly operation of the school and/or the health and welfare of the staff and/or students.

Each building principal or their designee shall be responsible for informing all students and their parents of the student dress code at the beginning of the school year and any revisions to the dress code made during the school year. Students who violate the student dress code shall be required to modify their appearance by covering or removing the offending item and, if necessary or practical, replacing it with an acceptable item. Any student who refuses to do so shall be subject to discipline, up to and including out of school suspension for the day. Any student who repeatedly fails to comply with the dress code shall be subject to further discipline, up to and including out of school suspension.

Nothing in this Dress Code will be construed to limit the ability of students to dress and/or groom themselves in a way that allows them to express their gender identity, or to discipline students for doing so.

Nothing in this Dress Code will be construed to limit the ability of students to wear certain protective hairstyles (including but not limited to braids, locks and twists) or to wear their hair in a particular texture, or to discipline students for doing so.