Shelby County Board of Education
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Procedure 6205.1
February 13, 2006
Policy 6205.1



Voluntary by School
Standardized Dress Guideline

Definition: Standardized dress provides a dress code for students to wear a specified color and style of clothing.

  1. The Principal of a school considering a Standardized Dress Code shall form a committee of parents, teachers, administrators, and students (where the age is appropriate) to develop a Standardized Dress Code. This committee will be known as the Standardized Dress Committee and will serve during the school year.
  2. The Standardized Dress Committee will assist in the development of a “"proposed"” Standardized Dress Code and a parental communication plan to be submitted to the Superintendent for approval prior to presentation to parents:

    A Standardized Dress Code shall include:

    1. color and style of clothes
    2. rationale for a Standardized Dress Code
    3. provisions for authorizing exemption from standardized dress

    A Parental Communication Plan shall include the methods to be used to communicate to all parents:

    1. the standardized dress proposal
    2. how parents can make suggestions to the committee
    3. the time frame and steps in approval or denial of this proposal
    4. the method and parameters of voting as outline in #7 below.

  3. The “proposed” Standardized Dress Code and Parental Communication Plan shall be submitted by the Principal to the Superintendent for approval prior to dissemination to the parents.
  4. After the Superintendent has approved the “"proposed"” Standardized Dress Code and the Parental Communication Plan, the Principal and the Standardized Dress Committee shall:
    • present the standardized dress proposal to the parents during at least one (1) public forum for parents to ask questions, discuss concerns, and give comments (at a publicized and designated time)
    • advise parents of the method(s) available for submitting opinions or suggestions regarding the dress code
    • communicate to parents the dates, location, and process of voting (as outlined in #7 below)
  5. The Standardized Dress Committee will review all parent suggestions and comments and determine if changes are to be made in the dress code.  If changes are made, the Principal will resubmit the “"proposed"” Standardized Dress Code to the Superintendent for his review and re-approval.

  6. After the “"proposed"” Standardized Dress Code has been approved, the Principal will send a copy of the approved “"proposed"” Standardized Dress Code to each family with a copy of the voting dates and parameters.


    The Principal will provide:
    1. An official family voting roster, which will be developed of current families who will have student(s) currently enrolled in the school and/or have child(ren) in the feeder school and will have child(ren) in the school when the dress code is implemented.  Feeder schools will provide a list of students and parents in the transition grade to the school considering  a Standardized Dress Code.

    2. The Principal, with the agreement of Standardized Dress Committee, will designate a member(s) of the school staff to serve as Voting Official(s) to assist in validation and security of the voting process. 

    3. The Voting Official(s) will be responsible for:

    • securing the official voting roster and the locked voting box
    • verifying the vote by insuring that each family voter has one vote
    • checking identification and having family member sign the voting sheet
    • The Voting Official(s) will initial the roster indicating that identification has been reviewed and the ballot placed in the box

  7. Voting shall be:
    • Located in a central area in the school office
    • Available during specified hours that provide all parents time to vote
    • Held during 10 school days designated in the Parental Communication Plan.
    • Designated as one vote per family.

    The family voter must:
    a. be a parent/guardian of student(s) currently enrolled in the school,
    b. have a child(ren) in the school when the dress code is implemented
    c. show identification and sign the official voting roster

  8. At the end of the 10th day of voting, a representative of the Superintendent's staff will meet with the Principal and members of the Standardized Dress Committee to open the voting box and tally the ballots.  This meeting will be held in a central location at the school in public view. In accordance with these procedures, a clear majority (51% or more of the families voting in the school with children currently enrolled who will be enrolled in the school during the year of implementation) must be in favor of standardized dress, before the school shall begin the “"proposed"” Standardized Dress Code.  The results of the voting will be communicated to all parents as provided in the Parental Communication Plan, as well as provided on the school website.

  9. A copy of the approved plan, signed and dated by the Principal of the school, will be filed with the Superintendent's Office as well as with the Coordinator of Student Information Services.

  10. Implementation of the approved Standardized Dress Code will begin on the first day of school in the following school year.

  11. Revoked Standardized Dress Code - Parents opposed to the school’s Standardized Dress Code shall submit, to the Principal, a petition with the signatures of 20% or more of the families currently enrolled in the school. The Principal will send the petition to the Superintendent. The Superintendent (designee) will provide specific procedures including notification and voting requirements. The voting procedures to revoke the school level Standardized Dress Code will align with the voting procedures utilized during the voting for implementation of the school level Standardized Dress Code.

 

Adopted 03/31/05
Revised 02/13/06