A change of clothes: Cape schools' dress code simplifies before the new school year

Cape Girardeau School District students will have a simpler dress code to follow when the new school year begins. It will be less restrictive and more fair to students, superintendent Neil Glass said.

In 2012, the district implemented a strict dress code � essentially a school uniform system, according to previous reporting by the Southeast Missourian.

In 2015, that strict code was relaxed slightly. Students could wear shirts with stripes or plaid patterns instead of allowing only solid colors, for example, and logos on clothing were allowed, while not amending requirements for pants, bottoms, accessories or spirit wear.

Now, before the 2018-2019 school year, Glass said, the dress code is being altered from a policy to a procedure.

The district office now has three dress codes: one for elementary student, one for middle students and a third for secondary students.

And the codes now give recommendations for how clothing ought to be worn, but leave the details to individual building principals.

�This gives us a lot greater flexibility to make the minor changes we need to make and still be compliant with the general dress code,� Glass said.

The elementary school dress code has only seven bullet points, including prohibiting distracting or disruptive clothing and head coverings, and requiring clothing to fit within one size of proper fit.

For middle school students, the dress code is more detailed, with eight bullet points and some subheads. In addition to the elementary-school requirements, middle school students must not have holes in their clothing, and the list of prohibitions is longer, including house shoes, spaghetti-strap shirts and visible undergarments.

The secondary school dress code is longest, but still fits on one page.

And, Glass said, students gave input to administrators when the code was being discussed.

�I met with a couple of student groups, and had a really good conversation with all of them,� Glass said. �They would like to see the dress code relaxed enough where they could wear what was in style, but also with respect to modesty, that they would help monitor themselves.

�I thought that was good,� he continued. �It showed great leadership, and that�s what we�re all about, promoting student leaders, school leaders.�

The strict dress code was just unmanageable, Glass said. It was difficult on teachers and administrators to enforce and wasn�t fair to students.

�We decided to enforce modesty, but also allow for flexibility in fashion,� he said.

This wasn�t a quick decision, Glass said, but rather a series of conversations over the last couple of years about students� unhappiness with restrictions, parents unsure of what to buy, and what he called a �whole host of different reasons.�

Glass said the school board was supportive.

�They understood the reasons why we wanted to go the way we did,� he said.

At the May 21 board meeting, the second reading and adoption of the new dress code was held.

�The Board of Education recognizes the value of allowing individual student expression as well as the necessity of protecting student health and safety and maintaining an atmosphere conducive to education,� reads a document from the meeting. �Student dress code procedures must be designed with the goal of balancing these competing interests.�

The complete dress code is online at www.capetigers.com/DISTRICTINFO/DressCode/tabid/2076/Default.aspx.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630