Parents and community members urge board to revise dress-code enforcement; many say girls are unfairly targeted

Multiple parents, a mental-health provider and PTA leaders used the board’s public-comment period on Sept. 8 to press the Washington County School District to revise its recently updated dress-code procedures, arguing enforcement disproportionately targets girls and damages students’ self-esteem.

Several parents described cases in which their daughters were told to cover up or wear district-provided “shame shirts” and said the practice caused humiliation. “This practice is, in my opinion, cruel and very damaging to a girl's self worth,” said Jacqueline Wakeley, who identified herself as the parent of a ninth-grade student at Desert Hills Middle School. Another commenter, Nora Wright, said the changes felt “unfair” and “display an underlying sexist bias.”

Loud, repeated public concern Speakers described similar accounts across grade levels and urged more equitable, less punitive approaches. Callie Sampson, who said she read the board materials and recognizes the policy intent, asked the board to reconsider particular procedural language and to give students more voice. Mental-health provider Stacy Heaps told the board that the way dress-code violations are handled can harm students emotionally and argued that “safe means acceptance.” PTA president Liesl Clove said PTAs are generally supportive of school operations but noted that parents were raising questions this fall.

Requests and board response Several commenters asked the board to revert to the district’s 2023 dress-code rules or to remove specific procedural provisions they said encourage public shaming. One parent said she had started a community group after her daughter was dress coded days into the school year and collected photos that the parent group believes show appropriate student attire.

Board chair and staff response The board chair acknowledged the comments, reminded speakers of the board's administrative limits for individual personnel matters, and said the board would continue to listen. The district’s presentation later in the meeting did not include a final vote on the dress-code revisions; staff and board members said they remain open to adjusting policy language after additional feedback.

Why it matters Parents and mental-health professionals said the district’s enforcement practices matter for students’ mental-health, school belonging and attendance. Speakers urged the district to focus on equitable application of rules, de-escalation and alternative approaches that avoid public humiliation.