The St. Johns County School Board approved a new dress code policy Tuesday after months of debate and a parent survey this summer.
Shorts, skirts and dresses can now be as short as “mid-thigh.”
The district's dress code policy came under fire this year as some parents and students called certain rules outdated or discriminatory to girls after a yearbook advisor altered the photos of dozens of girls to cover more of their bodies.
Not everyone is happy with the changes
“The board continues to ignore the fact that kids come in all shapes and sizes. Especially during these rapidly growing years. Skinny kids with long legs have an extremely difficult time even finding shorts, let alone impossible mid-length requirements,” said parent Carrie Hersel of Ponte Vedra Beach, who called into the meeting.
Others asked how the district plans to educate staff on how to implement the new dress code in a fair and equitable way.
The school board said it wanted to finalize the policy as parents are doing their back-to-school shopping. School starts August 16 in St. Johns County.
Michelle Corum can be reached at mcorum@wjct.org, 904-358-6308 or on Twitter at @MCorumonME.
