New Dress Code Adopted At Lakewood Schools

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Lakewood Schools adopted a new dress code during the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday.

The biggest change for students — a district spokesperson told Patch — is that pants and jeans with tears, holes and rips are now allowed.

This is the first time the district has revamped its dress code since 2016. The changes being implemented came from the Lakewood Schools' Dress Code Committee, which was composed of teachers, students, administrators and parents. A survey was also sent to families district-wide to gather their input.

The new dress code will get a pilot run implementation during the fourth quarter at Lakewood High School. The new code will be implemented district-wide at the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

The full dress code has been shared online.

What's not acceptable under the new dress code:

• Violent language or images on clothes.
• Images or language depicting drugs or alcohol, or people using drugs or alcohol.
• Hate speech on clothes.
• Profanity on clothes.
• Pornography on clothes.
• Language or images that "create a hostile environment based on any protected class."
• Underwear cannot be visible. Visible waistbands, or straps, or undergarments worn under other clothing, are not a violation.
• Sunglasses cannot be worn inside buildings.
• Crop Tops, Halter Tops, Spaghetti straps or bathing suits are banned unless a student is participating in aquatics.
• Hats or other headwear that hide a student's identity.
• Hoods cannot be up inside a school building.

Students must wear the following each day:

• A shirt.
• A bottom, namely one of the following: pants, sweatpants, shorts, skirt, dress, or leggings,
• A pair of shoes.

"High-school courses with curricular attire (professionalism, public speaking, job readiness) may include assignment-specific dress, but should not focus on covering of the body or promoting culturally-specific attire," the dress code guide said.