Girls and students of color are unfairly targeted by school dress codes, national report says (2024)
Girls, students of color, and LGBTQ students are disproportionately affected by public school dress codes that target clothing and hairstyles, according to a federal report released Tuesday.
Nearly all K-12 school districts have a policy regulating dress, according to the Government Accounting Office, which analyzed data from 236 districts across the country. The policies raise concerns about equity and safety for at-risk students, the report said.
About 90% of the dress codes prohibit clothing typically associated with girls, such as short skirts, spaghetti-strap tank tops, and leggings, the report said. About 69% of dress-code policies target clothing often worn by boys, including muscle shirts and sagging pants, according to the 60-page report.
The report comes as more districts across the country and in the region are adopting gender-neutral dress codes in an attempt not to disproportionately target girls. Cherry Hill is poised to consider its first major dress-code revision in a decade.
While school districts often cite safety as the reason for having a dress code, the policies often make the school environment less safe for some students, the report found. For example, some students, particularly girls, reported feeling uncomfortable when school officials physically touched them in order to measure clothing such as skirt length.
According to the report, 60% of dress codes have rules involving measuring to determine if a student’s clothing is acceptable. In some cases, the measuring was conducted in front of other students, causing embarrassment, the report said.
For example, one dress code said, according to the report, “The test: No bare midsection or back is revealed when arms are stretched overhead.”
Nearly all district dress-code policies contain subjective language that makes compliance open to interpretation, with phrases such as “revealing” or “immodest clothing,” the report said.
Researchers said none of the dress codes with “sex-based” rules explicitly protected transgender or nonbinary students and their choice to dress according to their gender identity, the report said. About 15% of dress codes have rules that “no fingernail polish or makeup is allowed on male students,” the report found.
Read the full report:
Most dress codes have rules about hairstyles and head coverings that disproportionately affect Black students and those from certain religious and cultural backgrounds, the report said. Only about one-third of dress codes allow religious exemptions for head coverings.
According to the report, about 44% of districts ban hair wraps, some specifically citing durags. One in five has rules with subjective language such as “hair must look natural, clean, and well-groomed” or say students’ hair must not be “distracting” or “extreme.”
According to the report, schools that strictly enforce dress codes primarily enroll Black and Hispanic students. Those students are more likely to face discipline by being removed from the classroom or suspended, the report said.
The report recommended that the U.S. Department of Education provide resources to develop more equitable dress-code policies, and collect and disseminate information on the prevalence of informal removals and non-exclusionary discipline such as in-school suspension.
In addition, the enforcement of dress codes is often discriminatory, as the GAO found. Educators
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who enforce them often unfairly target students of color, LGBTQ students, and girls. That's because a lot of school dress codes are gendered, and over 90 percent ban clothing worn predominantly by girls.
Having a dress code can tell a girl that the way she dresses and looks is important to others, and this can make girls feel more self-conscious about themselves, which can sometimes cause eating disorders and anxiety.
Dress codes also are used to reinforce race discrimination as well, by implicitly stating that those from diverse backgrounds and cultures do not belong in school, and that they must assimilate to fit into a dominant “white” culture in order to be successful.
In 2020, the ACLU of Texas identified 477 school districts with boys-only hair length rules. Since then, half have removed the restrictions from their policies, according to an ACLU report. It argues for more equitable dress codes, noting Black students are more likely to face disciplinary action.
In addition, the enforcement of dress codes is often discriminatory, as the GAO found. Educators who enforce them often unfairly target students of color, LGBTQ students, and girls. That's because a lot of school dress codes are gendered, and over 90 percent ban clothing worn predominantly by girls.
School's dress codes are often much more strict for girls than they are for the boys, and they arguably put blame on girls by indicating that their clothing leads to distractions for boys. Dress codes send the message to teenage girls that their bodies are a problem and, therefore, need to be covered or hidden.
Dress codes are typically implemented by school districts and employers to promote learning, safety, and image. Although such regulations face First Amendment challenges by students, parents, and employees, the courts generally support the schools and employers.
Some students may find school clothes uncomfortable. It can distract them from learning and can hurt their grade. For example, in Catholic schools, girls are often required to wear skirts, even in the wintertime, leaving them too cold to concentrate on school work.
Students feel sexualized, targeted and discriminated against when being subjected to dress codes. Students often get cited for wearing crop tops, tank tops, shorts, ripped jeans, flip-flops and hair pieces. Students are singled out in class and embarrassed in front of everyone while being subjected to dress codes.
Can Limit Expression of Individuality: Some argue that uniforms or strict dress codes limit students' ability to express their individuality. Clothing can be a form of self-expression, and some argue that uniforms stifle creativity and personal identity.
Implementing a dress code serves a safe and welcoming educational environment for students. Dress code makes the students get dressed in almost the same manner, making it easier to recognize them and identify who is the real students, and who are not.
Treating students in such dehumanizing ways has no place in any school. However, according to the GAO, almost half of all public schools nationwide enforce a strict dress code, and these policies tend to include more rules for girls than boys.
What Is The Target Dress Code for Employees? At Target, employees are required to wear solid red shirts with sleeves, khaki or blue denim bottoms, including skirts, shorts, capris, pants, etc., and closed-toed footwear. The outfit must be clean with no holes, rips, or damage.
Under this law, and various similar state laws, employers cannot impose dress codes that discriminate against employees based on any of the "protected characteristics."
Some school administrators and teachers may not realize that the dress code policy is offensive or harmful to certain students. By requesting a meeting with teachers and administrators, you can explain why you find the policy harmful and ask for their help in correcting the problem.
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