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Parent and student urge clearer, gender‑neutral dress‑code rules for Ellsworth schools
Summary
A parent and a high‑school student told the board administrators have been reclassifying standard tank tops as 'muscle shirts' and asked the district to define terms in the handbook and apply rules evenly to avoid singling out boys.
During the public comment period, parent Mary Cheney and student Clifford urged the board to clarify and equally apply the student handbook dress code. Cheney said multiple boys have been dress‑coded because administrators classified standard tank tops as "muscle shirts," a distinction she said is not defined in the handbook and appears inconsistently enforced.
"Families shouldn't have to wonder if the clothes they buy will suddenly be banned based on personal interpretation of the handbook," Cheney said, asking the board to define the terms, ensure equal application, and stop reclassifying standard clothing to target boys. The student speaker said allowing appropriate tank tops would improve comfort in warm weather and criticized what he described as a double standard when girls are permitted spaghetti straps or crop tops.
Board members did not take immediate policy action at the meeting; the comment was recorded during the public‑comment period. The board's earlier policy committee report noted revisions to BEDH (public comment at meetings) to clarify chair management and definitions for indecent or obscene language, but no policy changes to the dress code were presented during this session.
