SF teachers given leeway on dress code

Discretion allowed to address inequities, sexism

SANTA FE — Santa Fe Public Schools is giving its high school teachers discretion in determining the appropriateness of attire under a new dress code policy that will be reviewed after the first nine weeks of the next school year.

Superintendent Veronica García said during Tuesday’s school board meeting that the goal was to modify the policy to address inequities and sexism with regard to the student dress code. She said in developing the policy an underlying question was whether what a student was wearing was disruptive to the educational process.

“What we tried to do on this dress code is focus on behavior more so than on the clothing, but yet not have it disrupt instruction,” García said.

While parts of the policy apply to students throughout the district, there are different

sets of standards for students in kindergarten through middle school and those in high school with regard to hats and hoodies.

For instance, students can wear hats and hoods over the head on campus and in hallways at any school, but “only at the discretion of the classroom teacher” in classrooms at the high schools. Board secretary Rudy Garcia asked whether hats could still be worn sideways or backwards. That also will be left up to the classroom teachers.

“We’re focusing on behaviors, not so much on whether the hat is sideways,” the superintendent said.

The new policy does away with a “standard dress code” at the elementary schools, which Superintendent García said was difficult to define because there were so many exceptions.

The policy was developed by a panel that included school principals and administrative staff. Input was also gathered from teachers, students and parents.

Santa Fe High School Principal Carl Marano said that in an effort to establish consistency within the policy, teachers will undergo training to help define what type of attire or manner of dress is to be deemed appropriate prior to schools opening next year.

Students must wear clothing that fully covers their genitals, buttocks, breasts and navels with a fabric that can’t be seen through. They cannot wear clothing or accessories with images or language that contain profanity or hate speech, reference drugs or alcohol or that “reasonably can be construed as being or including content that is racist, lewd, vulgar or obscene.” They also may not wear items that can be construed as “fighting words,” speech that incites others or is defamatory or threatening.

Students are also not permitted to conceal their faces, except as a religious observance.

Should students wear what is deemed inappropriate, they would be allowed to put on their own alternative clothing or clothing provided by the school for the remainder of the day. The policy states that “no student will be denied attendance at school for failing to abide by the dress code.” However, they may be removed from classrooms. The policy is subject to review and evaluation by the superintendent on a yearly basis.