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Bargaining teams modernize staff dress code language, add allowance for jeans on spirit days
Summary
Negotiators proposed updated professional dress expectations that allow neat, clean jeans paired with a collared shirt or blouse; the draft permits school‑related T‑shirts on designated spirit days and tightens examples of inappropriate dress. Parties discussed principal discretion and consistency in applying spirit‑day designations.
Bargaining participants reviewed proposed revisions to the dress and appearance language for both instructional and support staff. The updated language emphasizes a professional, neat and clean appearance appropriate to the work setting and explicitly permits jeans when paired with a collared shirt, blouse, or on days designated as school spirit days.
Negotiators removed older or outdated terms (for example, references to "wind suits") and replaced some enumerated prohibitions with narrower, clearer language. The draft lists examples of inappropriate apparel (for example, provocative or revealing clothing, certain athletic apparel when not part of a work assignment, and slippers/bedroom shoes) and discusses case‑by‑case application for items like flip‑flops and sandals. Concerns were raised that the phrase "school‑related T shirt" may be broad; negotiators clarified that principals should designate spirit days for permissible non‑collared shirts rather than permitting everyday non‑collared shirts districtwide.
The teams agreed the language should allow principals discretion to approve building‑specific spirit days (for example, team or grade-level shirts) and that any routine exceptions should be governed by administrator designation. Parties asked HR to ensure consistent wording and to avoid creating ambiguity for employees, and they agreed to finalize the cleaned language for insertion into the contract drafts.
