Cavitt Junior High School

Cavitt JHS’s Dress Code supports school as a place of educational business and is intended to provide equitable educational access for all students.  It has been thoughtfully written in a manner that does not reinforce stereotypes and does not reinforce or increase marginalization or oppression of any group.

The student dress code supports our goal of inspiring students to learn while leaving primary decisions around student clothing and style to students and their parent(s)/guardian(s). Cavitt’s expectation is that parents and guardians are responsible for ensuring student compliance with the school’s dress code, and students are responsible for knowing the student dress code and for complying during school hours and school activities.

To ensure effective and equitable enforcement of this dress code, school staff shall enforce the dress code consistently and in a manner that does not reinforce or increase marginalization or oppression of any group.

Staff (teachers and administration) used student feedback as well as researched options to support an updated Dress Code policy.  Acknowledgement is given to Oregon NOW Model Student Dress Code, as well as, the Evanston Township High School’s Dress Code. 

Our values are

• All students should be able to dress comfortably for school and engage in the educational environment without fear of or actual unnecessary discipline or body shaming. 
• All students should understand that they are responsible for managing their own personal "distractions" without regulating individual students' clothing/self expression. 
• Student dress code enforcement should not result in unnecessary barriers to school attendance (daily or during individual periods). 
• Teachers should focus on teaching without the additional and often uncomfortable burden of dress code enforcement. 
• Reasons for conflict and inconsistent and/or inequitable discipline should be minimized whenever possible. 

 

• Clothes must be worn in such a way that buttocks, stomachs, breasts, nipples, and genitals are fully covered with opaque fabric. All items listed in the “must wear” and “may wear” categories below must meet this basic principle.

• A Shirt (with fabric on the front, back, and on the sides under the arms), AND
• Pants/jeans or the equivalent (for example, a skirt, sweatpants, leggings, a dress or shorts), AND
• Shoes.

• Hats facing forward or backward. Hats must allow the face to be visible to staff, and may not interfere with the line of sight of any student or staff. Teachers may decide to allow them to be worn within their classrooms or require that they are removed. 
• Religious headwear.
• Hoodie sweatshirts may be worn anytime.  Wearing the hood over the head is allowed outside only, during inclement/rainy/cold weather.  The face must be visible to school staff when the hood is worn outside (for safety).
• Shirts/tank (tops) and pants/shorts (bottoms) must meet while standing. This will allow students to participate fully in the school day.
• Fitted pants, including opaque leggings, yoga pants, and “skinny jeans”
• Ripped jeans, as long as underwear and buttocks are not exposed and any tears do not pose a safety hazard.
• Tank tops, including spaghetti straps, must have two straps (one on each side).
• Athletic shorts.
• Pants, skirts, shorts, etc must fit at the waist. 
• Visible waistbands on undergarments or visible straps on undergarments worn under other clothing (as long as this is done in a way that does not violate Section 1 above).

• Violent language or images
• Images or language depicting/suggesting drugs, alcohol, vaping, or paraphernalia (or any illegal item or activity).
• Hate speech, profanity, pornography, or images depicting nudity.
• Images or language that create a hostile or intimidating environment based on any protected class or consistently marginalized groups.
• Any clothing that reveals visible undergarments (visible waistbands and visible straps are allowed). 
• Any clothing that does not cover the buttocks or the bottoms of a student’s buttocks or shows their stomach, as it does not meet Basic Principle #1. 
• Swimsuits.
• Accessories that could be considered dangerous or could be used as a weapon.
• Any item that obscures the face or ears (except as a religious observance or is a medical face mask).

• To ensure effective and equitable enforcement of this dress code, school staff shall enforce the dress code consistently using the requirements below. 
• These dress code guidelines shall apply to regular school days as well as school-related events and activities.
• Students will only be removed from spaces, hallways, or classrooms as a result of a dress code violation as outlined in Sections 1 and 4 above. Students in violation of Section 1 and/or 4 will be provided three (3) options to be dressed more to code during the school day:
  • Students will be asked to put on their own alternative clothing, if already available at school, to be dressed more to code for the remainder of the day (PE clothes or alternative clothes the student brought with them).
  • Students will be provided with temporary school clothing to be dressed more to code for the remainder of the day (loaned PE or washed lost and found clothes).
  • If a student chooses to call parents during the school day to bring alternative clothing for the student to wear for the remainder of the day, the student may only wait for 15 minutes before returning to class in PE/borrowed clothes until the family member arrives. This is to minimize the loss of instructional time.  The student will be released from class upon the arrival of the family member.