Education Department Asked to Create Public School Dress Code

The City Council on Thursday approved legislation requiring the Department of Education to create a uniform dress code policy that would address inequities in dress codes across public schools.

According to a press release, dress codes across the city’s public schools vary widely, with students and student advocates reporting that some school dress codes unfairly treat and criminalize LGBTQ+ students and students of color.

The same concern was also expressed by youth rights activists within the Young Women’s Initiative 2.0, an initiative aimed at improving the situation of young women and girls.

The regulations are intended to increase transparency and promote policies that protect students from sexist and heteronormative dress codes, as well as enforce standards that target girls and students of color, the press release said.

The law requires the DOE to publish dress code policies on its website and to produce a five-year report on the dress codes of DOE schools, including whether each school has a dress code, as well as data on dress code violations and penalties, disaggregated by month, week, and student race and gender.

“The uneven dress codes across New York City’s public schools have led to disproportionate discipline and consequences for students simply expressing themselves,” said City Council Vice Speaker Diana Ayala. “Students and families should be able to easily access each school’s dress code in a central location on the Department of Education website and determine whether their individual school’s policies are truly nondiscriminatory and aligned with DOE guidelines. I hope this transparency will lead us to consistent, inclusive, and equitable policies across our school system that do not unfairly target our students.”