New York City public schools will be implementing a reformed dress code policy for students beginning this school year, one that aims to alleviate gender-based restrictions as more students adopt a fluid gender identity.
In July, the city council approved legislation that requires public school dress codes to comply with Title IV, the federal civil rights law that bars discrimination based on gender. According to the bill, schools must take into account the “diverse cultures, gender expression and body diversity” of students with the new policy, which is designed to be gender-neutral.
The legislation also included a resolution that encourages the DOE to establish a universal dress code for all public schools, which would be the first-ever universal dress code policy for students in NYC. However, that aspect was non-binding and not enforceable, according to the Citywide Council on High Schools.
Previously, dress code enforcement was left up to individual schools in the city.
The Department of Education will work with the City Council to craft new guidelines for the students’ dress code. These changes are expected to address the reporting of dress codes, as well as enforcement, infractions and consequences when it comes to students not complying.
“This isn’t new. When I was in high school, I remember passing back on the dress code and it was restricting young women more than anyone else, and there are so many cultures we need to embrace them in an education system,” Stevens told NBC New York after the legislation passed.
New York City Councilmember Althea Stevens, who sponsored the legislation, says the goal of the new dress code policy is to eliminate “sexist and hetero-normative dress codes,” as well as “standards that target girls and students of color.”
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