The Appleton Area School District is currently piloting a revised dress code. Per an email sent to families 05/17/2022, key changes include…
- Gender Neutral language
- Allowing students to come to school wearing comfortable clothing that allows them to be authentically themselves.
- Language on how things will be addressed
The current police is a one page affair.
By contrast, the proposed update policy is 3 pages long and includes much more information on students’ rights and the equitable enforcement of the dress code.
Before the email was sent to families, I contacted Assistant Superintendent (Secondary Level (7-12)) Michael Hernandez and asked him if he could give an overview of the reasons for the pilot program and how they would determine if the pilot was successful.
I also asked him if the pilot program had been run past the Board of Education.
He responded that the pilot was prompted by a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Task Force the District has assembled during the 2020/21 school year and noted, “Many students have expressed their desire for change in what school looks like and feels like. Students have asked for ways to demonstrate their freedom of expression. When looking at a typical school dress code, female students will usually have more regulations than male students. The reason implies that females have more chances to distract other students, particularly males, with their clothing. Staff have also expressed challenges in which first interactions wee to tell a student to take a hat off or hood off. Staff have reported that they are now able to have positive first interactions and have been able to build stronger relationships with the students.”
He said the progress of the initial implementation was being monitored through student and staff surveys.
He also stated that under the Coherent Governance model currently used by AASD “a dress code would not be taken to the board for a vote because it is an operational decision that is not connected to a state statute requiring board action. Within the new Coherent Governance model, this is an informational opportunity.”
I responded, asking Mr. Hernandez if he could clarify what aspects of the pilot program they were surveying staff and students about and how they would determine if the program was successful. Were they just monitoring whether people liked the changes or where they tracking things such as how student behavior and performance were impacted by the changes?
I also asked him, in light of the fact that this was an “informational opportunity” within the Coherent Governance framework, when the Leadership Team would be bringing this to the Board as an informational item.
Mr. Hernandez did not respond to my follow-up email which was sent on 05/16/2022, but on 05/17/2022 the District sent out the letter to families with information on the current dress code as well as the proposed new dress code and asking for their feedback on the proposed dress code changes.
It’s not clear to me whether the online feedback form is only for the schools currently participating in the pilot program or if it is open to all AASD families, but I would expect that anyone is free to contact their school principal, a member of the District Leadership Team, or the Board of Education, and their feedback will be sent on to the correct place.
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