The City Council on Thursday approved legislation that requires the Department of Education to create a unifrom dress code policy that would address inequities in public school dress code policies.
Dress code policies in the city's public schools vary widely, and students and advocates have reported that some school dress code policies have unfairly targeted and criminalized LGBTQ+ students and students of color, according to a news release.
This was a concern also raised by youth advocates as part of the Young Women’s Initiative 2.0, an initiative dedicated to improving outcomes for young women and girls.
The legislation looks to improve transparency and promote policies that protect students from sexist and heteronormative dress codes and the enforcement of standards that target girls and students of color, the press release said.
The law requires the DOE to post dress code policies on its website and report on dress code policies in DOE schools for five years, including information about whether each school has a dress code policy and data on dress code violations and penalties, broken down by month, week, and student race and gender.
“Uneven dress code policies in New York City public schools have led to disproportionate discipline and consequences for students simply expressing themselves,” said City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. “Students and families should have the opportunity to easily access any school's dress code policy in a central location on the Department of Education's website and determine if their individual schools' policies are truly non-discriminatory and aligned with DOE guidelines. My hope is that this transparency will bring us towards consistent, inclusive and fair policies across our school system that do not unjustly target our students.”
