SSD Grades 6-12 Dress Code

Our values in the development of a dress code are:

• All students should be able to dress comfortably for school without fear of or actual unnecessary discipline or body shaming.

• All students and staff should understand that they are responsible for managing their own personal "distractions" without regulating individual students' clothing/self expression.

• Teachers can focus on teaching without the additional and often uncomfortable burden of dress code enforcement.

• Students should not face unnecessary barriers to school attendance.

• Reasons for conflict and inconsistent discipline should be minimized whenever possible.

The implementation of a dress code at SHS is based on the expectation of our students to wear clothing that supports their learning in school. This is tied to the aspect of the Cosmos’ Code that requires students to “respect and encourage the ‘right to teach’ and ‘the right to learn’ at all times.”  Students are encouraged to express themselves individually, creatively, and especially comfortably. SHS considers clothing to be inappropriate for an academic environment when it disrupts the educational process, poses a health or safety threat or contains prohibited imagery or language (see below). It is an expectation that the dress code will be written and enforced in an equitable way regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, body type, body size, or religion.

Students must wear:

• a shirt

• bottoms (including pants/sweatpants/shorts/skirts/dresses/leggings)

• shoes, including shoes that are appropriate for a given activity (e.g. closed toe shoes in a science lab)

• clothing that covers buttocks, genitals, and nipples with opaque (i.e. not see-through) material

Students may not wear:

• violent or profane images or language on their clothing

• images or language referencing drug use, alcohol use, or any illegal activity on their clothes

• clothing that contains hate speech, including images or language that creates a hostile environment on the basis of sex, race, gender, or any other protected class

• clothing that reveals undergarments (with the exception of undergarment straps worn under other clothing)

• clothing that obscures the face (except as a religious observance or a face mask recommended for public health purposes)

• bathing suits

• sunglasses over their face in the school building unless for a specific and approved medical purpose.

It is important to note that allowances for specific clothing styles and lengths may be made when the attire suits the setting as determined by the supervisor for that setting (i.e. physical education, special events, etc.).

SHS teachers and faculty will engage in a dialogue with students who are inappropriately dressed (according to the above standards). If the outcome of this dialogue leads to a determination that the dress code is in violation and the situation is not immediately able to be fixed, the student will be asked to report to the Main Office.  Provisions will be made to find the student appropriate clothing for the remainder of the day on a case-by-case basis. This may include asking the student to change into an appropriate article of clothing of their own, asking the student to cover the offending item with another article of clothing, or (in the case of offensive language or graphics) asking the student to turn the article of clothing inside out. If no alternate provisions can be found, the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) may be contacted to provide the student with an appropriate article of clothing.

Students who refuse to comply with the request of a staff member to report to the Main Office due to a dress code violation, or who refuse to make the required changes to their attire, will be asked to leave the building and may face suspension.  If a student is unable to access appropriate clothing for school, they are encouraged to seek out the Health Office or the Counseling Office for support.

1. These are derived from the Oregon-NOW model dress code, available at https://noworegon.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/01/or_now_model_student_dress_code_feb_2016__1_.pdf