The Bangor School Department could make a number of changes to its student dress code aimed at letting students use their clothes to express themselves, respecting cultural differences and taking a less punitive approach to dress code violations.
The revisions to the dress code, which go before the Bangor School Committee on Wednesday night, follow a number of changes the school department has made in recent months to become more accepting to students and staff from diverse backgrounds.
Those have included recommendations that course materials feature diverse perspectives, cultures and identities, and an addition to the department’s nondiscrimination policy to ban hair discrimination.
The school system’s dress code has occasionally emerged as a point of contention over the years, prompting the school department to make changes. In 2015, for example, Bangor High School students protested what they said was a dress code that disproportionately resulted in girls being disciplined for violations. And an outside investigator in 2020 looking into allegations of racism at Bangor High School said the school department’s dress code at the time was vague enough that attire displaying the Confederate flag was allowed.
The school department has made changes since then in response, and this latest set of changes is aimed at making the rules more explicit, preventing traditionally marginalized groups of students from being targeted disproportionately for dress code violations and moving away from a punitive approach to enforcing the dress code.
“This is as much about clarifying communication as it is actual articles of clothing,” said Dana Carver-Bialer, the school department’s Title IX and affirmative action coordinator, who is spearheading the proposed changes.
If the school committee approves the changes Wednesday night, they will take effect when students start school on Sept. 1.
Carver-Bialer said she hopes the updated policy gives students a clear understanding of what’s expected while giving them space to express themselves through their clothing, especially students who may have previously been disproportionately targeted for dress code violations.
“We want students to express who they are through their dress because that’s an important part of adolescent development and it’s fun,” she said. “Taking pride in how one presents themselves to their peers is an important, exciting and empowering part of self-esteem and their identity.”
Research has shown that public school dress codes throughout the U.S. have traditionally targeted female, LGBTQ, larger, lower-income and minority students disproportionately, Carver-Bialer said. She wanted Bangor’s revised dress code to push against that trend.
For example, while students’ clothing must cover their undergarments and body appropriately, the revised dress code states that bra and tank top straps and visible waistbands “do not constitute excessive exposure.” Students’ clothing must also cover the “majority of one’s abdomen” and midriffs must be “reasonably covered.”
Though such attire has technically been allowed, Carver-Bialer said the policy was unclear and inconsistently enforced.
The revised policy also includes an updated provision that explicitly bans discriminatory or racist clothing.
Students aren’t allowed to wear things that can mask their identity, such as hoods or hats, indoors. However, students can wear hair or head coverings like hijabs, as they’re connected to religion or culture, Carver-Bialer said.
The updated policy also requires training for school staff on identifying and addressing dress code violations to ensure students are treated equitably and respectfully. Should a student violate the dress code, Carver-Bialer said, a teacher or administrator will speak to the student privately and give them an opportunity to change so they can return to class quickly and not be sent home.
“It has always been the preference that an issue is addressed quickly and tactfully so students can return to class,” Carver-Bialer said. “I’m confident that no Bangor school staff want kids out of school because of a dress issue.”
Should the updated policy be adopted, students would also be reminded of the rules annually so they understand the expectations early rather than learn about them after a violation.
Carver-Bialer said she reviewed the new policy with more than 20 people, including students, parents, social workers, teachers and administrators.
Even with the proposed revisions, much of the dress code remains unchanged. For example, students still cannot wear clothing that promotes the use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs or weapons, damages school property, or connects students with gang activity.
See-through and strapless clothing, excessively baggy clothing, and clothing with sexually explicit text or images all remain prohibited.