FILE:  JCDB

STUDENT DRESS CODE

Guidelines for acceptable, normal, good grooming should be taught and enforced in the home by the parents as part of their responsibility in training their children for responsible citizenship.

All students are required to be responsible in their dress and grooming by avoiding extremes and manifesting self-discipline with regards to these regulations.  Cooperation of parents is essential.

The policy of the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board is that no mode of attire shall be considered proper for school wear that distracts or disrupts classroom and school decorum.  It is the responsibility of each student to use good judgment in one's total appearance so that the attention of others is not distracted from the purpose of school.  Cleanliness shall be a basic consideration.   For health and safety reasons, students must wear shoes to school.

The School Board shall not exclude a student on account 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.

The principal or designee shall exercise discretionary authority in the interpretation of the dress code policy.  Anything which necessitates judgment as to proper dress shall be the principal's responsibility, based on the above-named criteria, and his/her judgment shall be based on the impact of the school's learning environment or the situation.

NOTIFICATION

The School Board shall notify the parent or guardian of each student of the dress code specifications and their effective date.  The dress code shall be distributed in written form or posted on the school’s website annually.

If the School Board modifies the existing uniform policy, it shall notify, in writing, the parent or guardian of each student of the policy adoption or uniform policy modification at least sixty (60) days prior to the effective date of the new or revised policy.  Each school shall display any uniform selected for a reasonable period prior to the proposed effective date for wearing of the uniform.

However, nothing shall prohibit the School Board from requiring a new or revised dress code or uniform policy without the required notice in the event of an emergency.  For the purposes of this policy, emergency shall mean an actual or imminent threat to health or safety which may result in loss of life, injury, or property damage.

BODY ARMOR

It shall be unlawful and against School Board policy for any student or non-student to wear or possess on his/her person, at any time, body armor on any School Board property, school campus, at a school-sponsored function, on a school bus or other school transportation, or in a firearm-free zone, with limited exceptions as enumerated in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §14:95.9, which includes permitting a student to wear, carry, or possess a backpack on school property or a school bus that has bullet-resistant metal or other material intended to provide protection from weapons or bodily injury.

School-sponsored functions shall include, but not be limited to, athletic competitions, dances, parties, or any extracurricular activities.  A firearm-free zone means any area inclusive of any school campus and within 1,000 feet of any such school campus, and within a school bus, wherein the possession of firearms is prohibited, except as specifically set forth in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§14:95.2(C) and 14:95.6(B).

Body armor shall mean bullet-resistant metal or other material intended to provide protection from weapons or bodily injury.

MANDATORY SCHOOL UNIFORMS

The West Baton Rouge Parish School Board holds the opinion that mandatory school uniforms will make all school campuses safer, and provide students a learning environment free of distractions and pressures that are associated due to different styles and types of clothing.  All students in grades K-12 shall be required to wear uniforms, as detailed in the Student Handbook.

CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATIONS

Students who violate the dress code shall be disciplined in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.

A student enrolled in grades prekindergarten through five shall not be suspended or expelled from school or suspended from riding on any school bus for a uniform violation that is not tied to willful disregard of school policies.

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§14:95.2, 14:95.6, 14:95.9, 17:81, 17:111, 17:416, 17:416.7

Scott v. Board of Education, 304 N.Y.S. 2d 601 (1969)

Karr v. Schmidt, 460 F. 2d 609 (5th Cir. 1972)

Board minutes, 5-2-91, 3-17-99, 3-15-00, 11-28-18, 9-21-22

West Baton Rouge Parish School Board