Dress Code Letter from Superintendent

Dear Provo City School District Families,

I have received several emails from community members about our dress code and its enforcement in our schools. Dress code is a tricky subject, and for principals, it can create precarious situations as it is enforced, depending on the situation. It creates angst for educational leaders because we have all seen instances where it has caused a student to stop coming to school. However, we do have a policy and a procedure in place, and we as a district administration along with our school principals will do the following to encourage compliance with this procedure in our schools.

The new dress code was put into place in October 2023 with district leadership introducing a procedure last spring. The policy is 3224 and can be found here: Dress Code Policy. The procedure that was introduced to the Board of Education and proposed by District Leadership can be found here: Procedure 1: Student Dress Standards.  The dress code clearly states that students must be appropriately dressed for the setting and activity. For example, a student may wear different clothing for a specific performance or for practice than what would be appropriate for attending classes. Second, Illegal, threatening, lewd, or profane content is also not allowed. 

Third, undergarments must be covered. This requirement means that students should not wear bras as shirts, and pants, shorts, and skirts should be worn at the waist to cover undergarments. This also means that skirts and dresses need to be long enough to cover undergarments. We have not specified a length, as we do not want our assistant principals and principals measuring the length of student clothing. This process would create a hostile environment for all, and if every student is not identified, it can lead to accusations of discrimination and unfair treatment. 

We understand the need to partner with our parents so that our students understand the expectations and can be at school ready to learn. We seek the assistance of ALL parents in ensuring that their children abide by these expectations so that their students do not miss out on important instructional activities.

To support the education of students and community members with this dress code policy, the following will take place by October 30, 2023:

• Superintendent will send out communication to all families regarding dress code and our process for addressing it.
• Principals will ensure that students have received instruction about the dress code.
• Superintendent and principals will engage in appropriate social media posts discussing expectations for dress.
• The district website and school websites will have links to the dress code procedure.

Once this communication has occurred, our principals and assistant principals will handle the enforcement of dress code in the following ways:

• If a teacher sees a dress code violation, they will inform the administration of the name of the student. The student should not be sent down during class, and the teacher should not expect that the principal will handle this situation during class. This would damage a potential relationship between the student and the teacher, and we want to keep teachers in a position where they can maintain these positive relationships. The enforcement of the dress code resides with administrators only.
• The administrator will address the situation and if the student is out of compliance with our dress code procedure, they will have a conversation with the student. Often, the situation can be remedied by the student, as they may already have other clothing they can put on to bring them into compliance.
• If the student does not possess the clothing to come into compliance, school administrators will either provide something the student can wear or will instruct the student not to wear the clothing again. The administrator will review the dress code policy and procedure with the student.
• If the student has a second incident of non-compliance, the administrator will reach out to the parents seeking their assistance in helping the student to comply. The school will also support the family and student in ensuring that they have what is needed to be in compliance with the dress standards. 

It is our hope that with this communication and follow through, we can ensure that everyone feels that their school creates a welcoming learning environment for all. 

We hope that you as parents will support us as we seek to have our students in class and ready to learn each day.

Sincerely,

Wendy J. Dau

Superintendent

Provo City School District

wendyd@provo.edu 

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