Dress & Grooming

For security, SECONDARY STUDENTS shall wear a school-issued student identification badge in a visible manner on or above the waist. To properly identify the individual to whom the badge belongs, the badge should clearly identify the campus name, student name, student photo, and barcode.

For security, middle and high school students shall wear a school-issued student identification badge in a visible manner on or above the waist. To properly identify the individual to whom the badge belongs, the badge should clearly identify the campus name, student name, student photo, and barcode.

The district’s dress code is established to prevent disruption and minimize safety hazards. All students are expected to dress in a respectful manner within the acceptable standards of the community and in such a manner as to contribute to the academic atmosphere, not detract from it.

NISD expects that all students will dress in a way that is appropriate for the school day and for any school sponsored event. Our Student Dress Code is designed to accomplish several goals:

• Maintain a safe learning environment in classes where protective or supportive clothing is needed, such as chemistry/biology, dance, or PE.
• Prevent students from wearing clothing or accessories that denote, suggest, or display or reference alcohol, drugs or related paraphernalia or other illegal conduct or activities.
• Prevent students from wearing clothing or accessories that will interfere with the operation of the school, disrupt the educational process, invade the rights of others, or create a reasonably foreseeable risk of such interference or invasion of rights.
• Prevent students from wearing clothing or accessories (including flags or capes) that reasonably can be construed as being or including content that is profane, racist, lewd, vulgar, or obscene, or that reasonably can be construed as containing fighting words, speech that incites others to imminent lawless action, defamatory speech, or threats to others.

Dress Code for All Students: The following are minimum requirements regarding student dress and grooming.

Clothing must cover undergarments. Fabric covering all private parts must be fully covered.

Plunging necklines are not allowed. All items listed in the “must wear” and “may wear” categories below must meet this basic principle.

Students Must Wear:

• Clothing including both a shirt with pants, shorts, dress, skirt, or the equivalent and shoes.
• Clothing must be suitable for all scheduled classroom activities including PE, science labs, CTE courses, and other activities where unique hazards exist.
• Proper undergarments must be worn and covered by non-see-through outer clothing.
• Shirts and dresses must have fabric in the front and on the sides.
• Shirt length must meet the top of pants/waistband without alteration.

Students May Wear:

• Athletic attire
• Bandanas as a headband or scarf
• Clothing with commercial or athletic logos if they do not violate the guidelines in the “May Not Wear” section below
• Fitted pants, including opaque leggings, yoga pants and skinny jeans if they do not violate the guidelines in the “May Not Wear” section below
• Hats, caps, visors or similar hat like apparel as long as they do not create a safety concern, a distraction inside of school buildings, classrooms, or instructional settings
• Hoodie sweatshirts (wearing the hood overhead is not allowed inside the building). The face and ears must be visible to school staff.
• Religious headwear
• Ripped jeans if underwear and buttocks are not exposed
• Sweatpants, shorts, skirts, dresses, pants
• Tank tops with straps at least 2 inches wide (the width of a student ID)

Students May Not Wear:

• Accessories that could be considered dangerous or could be used as a weapon
• Any clothing that reveals undergarments
• Any item that obscures the face or ears (except as religious observance or as required by the district to mitigate health risks associated with the spread of communicable diseases).
• Hate speech, profanity, pornography
• Images or language depicting drugs or alcohol (or any illegal item or activity)
• Images or language that creates a hostile or intimidating environment based on any protected class or consistently marginalized groups
• Strapless, backless, halter, bare-midriff, spaghetti strap shirts/blouses, muscle shirts or sleeveless undershirts.
• Swimsuits (except as required in class or athletic practice)
• Violent language or images

The principal, in connection with the sponsor, coach, or other person in charge of an
extracurricular activity, may regulate the dress and grooming of students who participate in the activity. For special events, defined by campus administration, specific dress requirements may be set.

Solutions to Address Dress Code:

If a student is not following the dress code, the administrator/staff member should address the student in private to come up with a solution using the following guidelines:

• Students will be given the option of removing articles and accessories that do not conform to the dress code.
• Students will be asked to put on their own alternative clothing, if readily available at school, to be dressed in compliance to code for the remainder of the day.
• Students will be provided with temporary school clothing to be dressed in compliance to code for the remainder of the day.
• If necessary, students’ parents/guardians may be called during the school day to bring alternative clothing for the student to wear for the remainder of the school day.

The school administrators may make appropriate adjustments in the dress code to fit the unique needs of a campus or student needs. The campus administration shall employ appropriate disciplinary procedures to carry out and enforce this policy.