FILE:  GAMB

EMPLOYEE DRESS CODE

DRESS AND PERSONAL GROOMING

Employees on a daily basis shall dress as professionals, in businesslike attire in order to set a good example for students, co-employees, and the general public.  Employee dress and grooming shall not detract from the learning/educational environment of students in their classes, school programs or other school-related activities.  Extremes in style and fit in employee dress and extremes in style of grooming will not be permitted.  Administrators, considering input from the School Improvement Team, shall be authorized to use their discretion in determining extremes in styles of dress and grooming and what is appropriate and suitable for West Baton Rouge Parish School Board employees.  No employee shall wear, possess in the workplace, use, distribute, display or sell any clothing, jewelry, emblem, blade, symbols, sign or other things that are evidence of affiliation with drugs, alcohol, violence or gang related activities.  Visible body piercing shall be limited to the ears only, and any visible body art (tattoos) shall not be obscene, vulgar, profane, representative of drugs/alcohol use, or gang affiliation, or distractive to the educational environment.

The School Board shall not discriminate against an employee on the basis of a natural, protective or cultural hairstyle.  Natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle shall include, but is not limited to, afros, dreadlocks, twists, locs, braids, cornrow braids, Bantu knots, curls, and hair styled to protect hair texture or for cultural significance.

EMPLOYEE DRESS CODE

The guidelines of the School Board shall be that no mode of attire will be considered proper for school wear that distracts from or disrupts classroom and school decorum.  To maintain a proper image for teachers and other employees, it is the responsibility of principals or supervisors to see that all employees are properly dressed.  Principals may include reasonable dress code provisions at schools.  Principals may make exceptions to the mode of dress in specific shop-type situations where deemed appropriate.  Any condition of grooming or dress judged by the principal to be inappropriate shall not be allowed.

UNIFORMS FOR MAINTENANCE WORKERS

The West Baton Rouge Parish School Board Maintenance Department shall project an image that emphasizes the professional services provided to students, teachers, principals, administrators, and parents.  It is desirable that these West Baton Rouge Parish School Board employees be distinguishable from other individuals, authorized or unauthorized, who are located on school grounds, as a safety issue.  As such, a uniform look is required and sets and exemplifies a significant safety standard.  Therefore, all employees in the Maintenance Department shall be required to wear a uniform shirt with the School Board logo and an individual’s name that will be provided by the School Board.  In addition, the employee must wear appropriate footwear.  The maintenance and custodial staff may wear caps.  Logos on caps shall not be obscene, vulgar, profane, representative of drugs/alcohol use, or gang affiliation, or distractive to the educational environment.

Any employee who disregards the provisions of the School Board's employee dress code policy shall be subject to disciplinary action.

New policy:  July, 2007

Revised:  September 21, 2022

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 23:332

Board minutes, 7-18-07, 9-21-22

West Baton Rouge Parish School Board