The Higley Unified School District Governing Board tabled a new dress code policy Aug. 9 after members failed to come to a consensus.
“I think we’re still a little bit aways from where we should be in my opinion,” Board Member Kristina Reese said.
Board members were split between a new policy presented from the Arizona Risk Retention Trust, which the district is considering transitioning to for policy services, or a proposed amended policy more like the policy that has been in place for more than 20 years.
The discussion drew a larger-than-normal crowd to the school board meeting and 12 people spoke during the public-comment period, also expressing divided opinions on a dress code.
During a May board meeting, Reese, President Tiffany Shultz and Board Member Amanda Wade said they believed the current policy was outdated, required too much enforcement from teachers and that enforcement fell inequitably upon female students.
That policy calls for regulations that prohibit dress or grooming practices that:
Present a hazard to the health or safety of the student or to others in the school;
Interferes with or disrupts the educational environment or educational objectives;
Displays or suggests obscene language or symbols;
Immodestly exposes the chest, abdomen, midriff, genital area, or buttocks;
Creates an atmosphere of threat, intimidation, or undue pressure;
Displays or advertises alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or any illegal or controlled substance or item.
A version of the policy the district proposed from the risk trust has been adopted by 10 districts, according to Jennifer McClellan, a member of the district’s legal counsel.
Under the proposed policy, attire may be prohibited when it:
Significantly interferes with the district’s ability to maintain order, such as disrupting schoolwork, school programs and activities, creates disorder, or prevents any student(s) from achieving educational objectives;
Affects the health or safety of students, personnel or visitors;
Conveys affiliation with a criminal street gang;
Exposes the wearer’s undergarments, or undergarment areas;
Contains or conveys obscene language, symbols or messages;
Promotes or depicts the unlawful use of alcohol, tobacco, or drugs;
Is inconsistent with or prohibited by the course, program, or activity.
It further says under undergarments or undergarment areas that clothing must cover all private body parts and/or undergarments and must not be see-through. Undergarment waistbands and/or straps that are incidentally visible under clothing are permitted; however, undergarments may not be worn as clothing.
Reese said that while the previous policy had been too specific, this one she found to be too vague. Vice President Michelle Anderson and Board Member Anna Van Hoek agreed and came out strongly for the previous policy with its specifics.
Shultz said she could not see how the new policy was not specific enough with its call to cover all private areas, and Wade expressed concerns over its practical enforcement in the Arizona heat.
From Anderson and Van Hoek’s comments, McClellan said one district had added a prohibition against exposing any of the midriff in the front, back, or side. Anderson moved to amend the proposed policy with similar language, and Van Hoek added her second.
But Wade said the amended language could prohibit tank tops, and Reese said she could neither support the old policy nor the new policy as amended. She hoped counsel could craft something from their discussion. Reese's motion to table was unanimously approved.
A new attempt at a policy could come back as soon as the Aug. 23 governing board meeting.
Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X. We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Tom Blodgett Senior News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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