Do St. Johns County school dress codes discriminate? Expert says yes - St. Augustine Record

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High school dress codes have become a topic of heated debate nationwide, especially against the backdrop of the "Me Too" movement.

Locally, the St. Johns County School District has recently come under fire for its clothing restrictions. 

Some parents and students are calling the policy flat-out sexist for both its wording and enforcement as more than 80% of infractions over the last three years have been issued to female students, according to data provided by district officials.  

A March 26 large-scale inspection of students' dress at Bartram Trail High School resulted in 31 students cited for issues such as the length of their skirts or exposed midriffs. All of the violations were against female students.

The problem, critics say, is that verbiage in the policy, such as "modest," "not revealing" and "too distracting," puts the blame on young women as if they were actively trying to call attention to their developing bodies.

Riley O'Keefe, a Bartram Trail High School freshman, launched a petition on the website Change.org to revamp the dress code in St. Johns County. As of Friday, it had received 4,725 signatures.

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Change.org currently has more than 100 similar petitions challenging dress codes at schools nationwide.

The debate has sparked other reactions in St. Johns County, as well. On April 15 and 16, administrators at Palm Valley Academy found writing and signs left on bathroom stalls and mirrors as well as hallways in protest of the dress code.

Another St. Johns County student, Ella Cornett, a senior at Ponte Vedra High School, recently submitted a letter to the school board letting them know she is working on a school project about the dress code controversy and the impact it is having on her and her classmates. 

In it, she wrote: "Every day, it's like a feeding frenzy, who will be the next victim because their shoulder or stomach is showing. I don't feel safe or free to express myself for I am always in fear that I will be seen as just another girl breaking the code."

District dress code up for review in May

Every year, the school district routinely considers changes to the dress code as part of its annual review of the Student Code of Conduct. It accepts input on the issue through individual student advisory council meetings at each school, as well as comment at school board meetings and email and phone correspondence.

The review will take place this month, and the school board's final decision determining the 2021-22 school year guidelines is expected in June.

St. Johns County School District officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment by The Record this week, and school board members haven't addressed the topic publicly even as community members have shared their concerns at meetings over the last six months.

Nationwide, 90% of public schools enforced a strict dress code as of the 2019-20 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

A dress code has been in effect countywide for at least 20 years, according to several officials The Record spoke with for this story. The general wording, a section that applies to both male and females, and an additional breakdown by gender have not changed for over a decade, according to research by The Record.

According to data provided by the school district, between 2018 and 2020, 83% of students who received infractions for dress code violations in St. Johns County were female.

In a phone interview with The Record Friday, school board member Patrick Canan acknowledged, "It's obviously not balanced between males and females, so that's something to look at."

Shauna Pomerantz, who has researched the formation of female identity, including dress codes, over the last 20 years, said young women who are larger, taller or more curvy are especially targeted.

Pomerantz said women of color and students who fall on the LGBTQ spectrum are also disproportionately cited for dress code violations.

"Boys can get away with a lot more," Pomerantz. "But if it's a young lady who is Black or large or queer, she's gonna get nailed for it."

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Gender-specific guidelines can stereotype young men, too

Pomerantz, a professor in the child and youth studies department at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, has authored several books on the issue of dress code discrimination including "Girls, Style and School Identities."

Students like O'Keefe, who started the Change.org petition, say the dress code sends the message that the "distraction" their clothing might create for male students is considered more of a problem than the distraction it could have on female students who are routinely taken out of class or — in the case of the Bartram Trail High School crackdown — subject to inspection in a public setting like a hallway.

"It makes young women believe that somehow they are the problem — it's body shaming and victim shaming — and sets up a really dangerous trend that they [female students] could attract unwanted attention that could lead to sexual assault," Pomerantz said.

Strict gender-specific guidelines can be damaging to male students, as well, according to Pomerantz.

"It suggests that boys are animals; that they can't control themselves," Pomerantz said.

In an interview with The Record Friday, Asher Campbell-Westbrook, a senior at Pedro Menendez High School, said he takes issue with the school district's rationale that a female student revealing too much skin is disruptive to a learning environment.

"I don't believe that the showing of a female classmate's shoulders rises to the level of a distraction against her fellow classmates," Campbell-Westbrook said.

Debate around dress codes nothing new

In the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District in 1969, the court upheld the free speech rights of students to wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam War, explaining that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

But over four decades later, school districts continue to implement dress codes and take punitive measures against students who do not follow policy guidelines restricting political messages or short skirts.

In 2016, Oregon NOW, an activist organization, created a model dress code to help school districts update and improve their student dress code policies and enforcement processes. The template is based in the idea that student dress codes should support equitable educational access and should not reinforce gender stereotypes. In addition, administrative enforcement should not reinforce or increase marginalization or oppression of any group based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, household income, gender identity or cultural observance.

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A look at dress codes of other area school districts reveals a variety of approaches. 

Duval County public schools' policy is similar to St. Johns County's banning clothing that "exposes underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner or that disrupts the orderly learning environment" as well as garments that are "form-fitting or overly tight."

The Flagler County school district, on the other hand, requires all secondary-level students wear a school-approved uniform.

"Uniforms are necessary for the safety and welfare of students and school personnel," the policy reads. "They create an environment that supports learning by encouraging a sense of pride and belonging, where student individuality is expressed through personality and achievement."

Through social media, debates around school dress codes have drawn more awareness and attention — and, in some cases — prompted change.

Pomerantz cited the example of the Toronto District School Board, doing away with the concept of modesty in their policies, replacing it with a new priority: student voice.

In 2018, pressure by parents and students in the Alameda Unified School District in Alameda, California, outside San Francisco, brought about a loosening of dress code, allowing for yoga pants, tube tops and even pajamas as acceptable student attire.

Changes to local policy likely 

In an interview with The Record April 16, Paul Abbatinozzi, senior director for school services, said the school district is considering revising the dress code.

Abbatinozzi said in his 10 years in his position with the school district, he has not seen the level of pushback on dress policy he's seen recently in St. Johns County.

"I imagine there will be some changes this year," Abbatinozzi said in the April 16 Record interview. "That could involve removing some words or changing one section from male and female to 'all.'"

Beverly Slough, a member of the St. Johns County School Board, told The Record on April 29: "We want kids to dress in the fashion of the day but at the same time we don't want it to not be appropriate."

Slough said she is taking a wait-and-see approach on the direction of where upcoming discussions might lead. 

"I think Mr. Abbatinozzi is paying a lot of attention to potential changes," Slough said.

Pomerantz believes the most successful course of action is to bring students themselves into the conversation.

"Bring kids to the table. Ask them 'what makes you comfortable? Where do we draw the line?'" Pomerantz said. "That way, students feel respected and valued."

St. Johns County School District dress code

In addition to more gender-neutral guidelines, the policy breaks down these standards:

Boys

• Boys' pants/slacks must be worn at the waist. No boxer shorts or underwear may be visible.
• Mustaches and beards shall be neatly trimmed.
• Revealing clothing and pajamas are not acceptable.

Girls

• Tops and shirts must cover the entire shoulder and they must be modest and not revealing or distracting.
• Midriff or “cut‐out” dresses and “cut out” tops may not be worn.
• Extremely short skirts are not allowed.
• Skirts must be no shorter than 4 inches above the top of the knee.
• Revealing clothing, pajamas and lingerie are not acceptable. Underwear must not be exposed.
• Hair curlers and excessive makeup shall not be permitted.
• Girls’ pants/slacks must be worn at the waist. No underwear may be exposed.

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May 03, 2021 at 07:22AM
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Do St. Johns County school dress codes discriminate? Expert says yes - St. Augustine Record

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