By Sara Beth Williams–
The San Juan Unified School District School Board last month approved revisions to its dress and grooming policy and approved the retirement of a policy that authorized individual schools to implement school uniforms.
In a 5-2 decision during a June 25 school board meeting, the school board voted to abolish uniform requirements throughout the school district, and approved revisions to the dress and grooming board policy that eliminate the ability for schools to enforce or require any dress code that is stricter than the district-wide dress code. Board members Tanya Kravchuk and Manuel Perez voted against the policy.
The decision came after significant discussion surrounding the dress and grooming policy. Kravchuk requested to pull the dress and grooming policy specifically and delay approval until the next board meeting scheduled for July.
San Juan Unified School District Superintendent Melissa Bassanelli indicated that delaying approval would delay the ability for the district to implement school staff and student training/orientation on the new policies.
Bassanelli clarified that the dress code itself, which was discussed in the previous board meeting, falls under “administrative regulation,” which is handled and implemented by the district cabinet and staff and does not require board approval.
Bassanelli said that the policy before the board during the June 25 meeting was related to eliminating the ability for schools to create and enforce their own separate dress codes, “which is what the district is trying to move away from,” Bassanelli said.
“Your action on this policy helps us to have a uniform dress code implementation for the whole district,” Bassanelli told the board.
Kravchuk feared she had not been “speaking the truth” to the community because she hadn’t been aware that the policy would be on the agenda. Board member Zima Creason disagreed, stating that the board and district had done their “due diligence” in providing the information to the community and that the policies being voted on at the meeting were “clearly laid out” in the agenda packet prior to the meeting.
Board member Ben Avey shared concern that a decision at the end of July or August would result in parents buying school clothes that their children “are not permitted to wear.” Avey acknowledged concerns over the current dress code policy but was hopeful that throughout the school year the district would learn and adjust the policy to focus on areas that are “more problematic” than other areas.
According to the agenda packet, the school uniform policy was implemented in 1995 and stated that “Individual schools are authorized to adopt a school uniform as part of their dress code, by
incorporating such dress code into their school safety plan.” This policy has now been dropped.
In the 2022–23 school year, the district convened a District Dress Code Committee to explore and develop an updated student dress code policy in response to a growing concern over “inequitable dress code enforcement,” particularly concerning female students and minority students, the district said in an email to The Sentinel.
What’s in the new dress code policy?
San Juan Unified School District Director of Communication Raj Rai said that over 4,800 students, staff, and families completed surveys in which they expressed multiple concerns with the existing policy.
The dress and grooming policy was first implemented in 2005 and last revised in June 2024, prior to the board meeting. Revisions to the policy include eliminating individual schools’ ability to “establish additional guidelines for its own students.”
Guidelines have been updated to reflect that student dress codes must not discriminate against students “on the basis of cultural expression, hair texture, hairstyles, religious expression, body type or maturity, gender identity, gender expression, or any other protected right.”
Further, the revision to the policy says, “When practical, students shall not be directed to correct a dress code violation during instructional time or in front of other students. Repeated violations or refusal to comply with the district’s dress code may result in disciplinary action.”
A revised draft was shared with the community for public review in April and May 2024. The feedback survey received nearly 2,000 responses, Rai said, and revisions were made to the draft dress code based on the feedback received before it was adopted. Residents in the district can learn more about the process and review the updated dress code at www.sanjuan.edu/dresscode.
The dress code allows shirts like tank tops, spaghetti straps, halter tops and midriff-baring shirts. It also allows leggings, skirts, fitted pants, ripped jeans, pajama bottoms, as well as standard pant and short options. Various headwear is also allowed, including religious headwear, hats, durags, hoodies and other attire.
Prohibited attire includes see-through shirts and bottoms, as well as clothing that displays profanity, pornography or that promotes hate towards targeted groups. Shorts must also “cover the buttocks while sitting and standing.” Swimsuits, except when worn for PE or sports, are prohibited. Clothing or other items showing gang affiliation or promoting hate speech are also banned.
Rai confirmed that the updated dress code does not apply to charter schools within the district, as charter schools adopt their own policies.
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