Dress and Grooming Policies

For information on Gadsden County School Policies, please review the Student Code of Conduct.
Student Code of Conduct pp. 10 - 12 (GCPS)

VII. DRESS AND GROOMING

Rights:

Students have a right to dress comfortably.

Responsibilities:

Students have a responsibility to wear clothes that are not dangerous to their health or safety and to dress in a manner that is not disrupting to the educational process. Clothes worn should not advertise drugs, gangs, alcohol, tobacco, inappropriate language and/or sexual behavior.

Rule:

Student will dress and groom in such a way as to express personal preferences within the guidelines of the school dress code. Students are prohibited from wearing bonnets, bandannas, dropped pants, low riding jeans, and shorts revealing the buttocks or underwear, short tops revealing the belly button, and inappropriate short dresses, shorts, or skirts. Middle and high school students are required to have pants are to be worn with a belt.

High School Disciplinary Action:

Any student enrolled in a high school who violates the dress code may receive counseling and/or parent/guardian(s) will be contacted. Clothing and/or other personal adornment that is so unusual or non-traditional that it attracts undue attention and distracts from the academic climate of the classroom cannot be allowed.

APPROPRIATE ATTIRE

• When young ladies wear shorts, skirts, and dresses, the length must be near their knees. This knee length is determined by the indentation of the tip of the student's middle finger when placed against the student's attire.
• Bound sleeveless shirts and/or dresses that cover the armpits may be worn.
• Shirts/blouses must cover the midriff at all times.
• Young men must wear belts or suspenders with their pants. Elastic waist band/draw strings are acceptable.
• Hats and hoods may be worn with the face being visible at all times. No ski masks or face coverings other than a nose/mouth mask.

INAPPROPRIATE ATTIRE

• Tight-fitting stretchy pants, leotards, bicycle pants, or body gloves without a shirt that covers the bottom
• Blouses or shirts that are unbuttoned, see-through, halter tops, tank tops, or muscle shirts and dresses that are strapless, spaghetti strap
• Section cutout garments with holes
• Clothes that advertise gangs, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, drugs, suggestive or sexually explicit logos, or offensive racial slogans
• Bonnets, bandannas, scarves, stocking/wave caps
• Bare feet, bedroom slippers, flip-flops or beach shoes
• Hair combs, hair picks, or hair rollers
• Dropped pants / saggy pants (F.S. 1006.07 and F.S. 1006.15)

* These dress code guidelines are subject to the interpretation of the administration, faculty, and staff. Any other type of clothing or garment that is distracting, immodest, or interferes with learning will not be allowed.

ALL STUDENTS (ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH) FOUND IN VIOLATION OF THE DRESS CODE WILL BE SUBJECTED TO THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:

• For first offenders, the school is required to give the student a verbal warning, and the assistant principal/dean must call the student's parent or guardian;

• For second offenders, the student is ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities for up to 5 days, and the assistant principal/dean must meet with the parent or guardian;

• For the third or subsequent offenders, the extracurricular activity exclusion is extended to up to 30 days; the school must place the student in in-school suspension for up to 3 days; and the assistant principal/dean must both call and send written notice to a parent or guardian.