Santa Barbara School Districts

Dress Code Policy

The Santa Barbara School Districts are committed to establishing a safe and secure learning environment. While a student’s attire is generally at the discretion of a parent/guardian, appropriate dress standards are necessary for the healthy, safe and undisrupted operation of a school.

The District dress code policy will be enforced consistently and fairly on all school campuses and at school sponsored functions. Additionally, each individual school site reserves the right to add items to the District dress code as necessary for the health and safety of the school environment. School sites are responsible for notifying the students and parents of established site standards.

Appropriate Dress Standards

District students are prohibited from wearing clothing that a) causes an actual distraction from or disturbance of any school activity, or interferes with participation of a student in a school activity or b) creates a health or safety hazard.

1. Clean and Neat Dress: Students shall be neatly dressed and shall show proper attention to personal cleanliness. All pants and shorts must be hemmed. Cut-off shorts are not permitted.

2. Size and Fit (Oversized Clothing): Students shall wear the correct size of clothing. Pants worn well below the waist and oversized or bagging pants are not permitted. Students are prohibited from wearing oversized jackets, parkas and other oversized outerwear.

3. Size and Fit (Revealing Clothing): Students shall not wear sexually suggestive or revealing clothing, including, but not limited to, clothing which exposes the midriff or undergarments, low cut tops, micro-mini and mini skirts, tube tops, spaghetti strap tank tops, off the shoulder tops, and see-through attire.

4. Shoes: Safe shoes are required at all times. Bare feet, shoes without soles and house slippers are not permitted.

5. Headwear and Sunglasses: Students shall not wear hats, handkerchiefs, bandanas or other kinds of head coverings inside District buildings. Students shall not wear dark glasses or sunglasses indoors unless a student has a valid medical note on file at the school site.

Each school site shall allow students to wear sun-protective clothing while outdoors during the school day and during school functions open to the public. The type of sun-protective clothing permitted at a school site is determined by the individual site.

6. Dangerous Clothing: Students shall not wear any clothing that may be used as a weapon, including but not limited to, steel toed boots, long waist chains, items with spikes or studs and other items deemed inappropriate by an individual school site.

7. Writing, Insignias and Pictures: Students shall not wear clothing, jewelry, hairstyles, bodyart, or other personal effects with writing, insignia or pictures which disrupt the educational process. This includes, but is not limited to, writings, insignia and pictures that:

● Display commonly known gang and gang affiliation symbols;

● Display products or slogans which promote alcohol, tobacco, drugs, violence or sex;

● Are obscene, libelous, slanderous or profane;

● Create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts, violation of school regulations or injury to the people or property of the school community;

● Discriminate against others or are violations of hate-crime laws.

8. Gang Related Apparel: When there is evidence of a gang presence that disrupts or threatens to disrupt school activities, the principal, staff and parents/guardians may work with local law enforcement to establish a reasonable dress code which prohibits students from wearing gang related apparel. The dress code must specifically list what clothing is defined and prohibited as “gang-related apparel.”

A gang-related apparel dress code is included as part of the school safety plan and must be presented to the Board for approval. The Board shall approve the dress code upon a determination that the dress code is necessary to protect the health and safety of the school’s students. Once the policy is in force, site administrators and the safe school committees should review the policy once a semester to ensure that it is current and specific to the local gang issues.

Any clothing or apparel that a student or a group of students wear to identify themselves for the purposes of harassing, threatening or intimidating others is not permitted while on District property or during school or District sponsored activities.

Consequences for Dress Code Violation

Students who fail to follow the provisions of the dress code will be held accountable in accordance with the established district/site discipline policy.

● Before sending students to the office/administration for dress code violations, teachers will first counsel students about their dress and seek voluntary compliance with the policy.

● First Offense: Student conference with administration and attire altered;

● Second Offense: Attire altered, parent conference, and possible 1 - 3 day suspension;

● Third Offense: Attire altered, parent conference, and possible 1 - 5 day suspension.

Persistent and flagrant violations of the dress code may result in further consequences, up to and including expulsion.

Legal Reference

California Education Code sections 32282, 35160, 35183

Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Title 302

Jeglin v. San Jacinto Unified Sch. Dist. (C.D. Cal. 1993) 827 F.Supp. 1459