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March 7, 2022 Message from McDaniel - OKCPS Updates District Uniform Policy for 2022-23 School Year 

OKCPS Families and Staff, 

This evening, the OKCPS Board of Education voted on changes to our District’s uniform policy which will take effect in August as we begin the 2022-23 school year. 

Next year, OKCPS elementary students will continue to wear uniforms. There are no changes for students in PK-4th grades, except that the district has adopted gray as a universal shirt color. However, beginning in August 2022, all secondary students (5th-12th grades) will move to a district Dress Code in lieu of uniforms.

Although our teams are still working through the regulations that will support the new policy, below is an overview of our new Secondary Dress Code:

  • Tops: Shirts that fully cover a student’s torso (includes stomach, back, and shoulders) without undergarments showing. 
  • Bottoms: Clothing that fully covers a student from the waist down to at least mid-thigh. 
  • Shoes: Must wear shoes which do not pose a safety threat to self or others.

Reasonable Limitations:

  • Attire shall not be see-through, sheer, mesh, or otherwise transparent.
  • Pajamas and house shoes are not permitted.
  • Hats are not permitted in the building.
  • Hoodies are acceptable but hoods should not be pulled up to cover the head. 
  • The following symbols, mottos, words, or acronyms on decorations and/or designs imprinted upon or attached to the body or clothing are prohibited if they portray: 
    • Crude, vulgar, profane, violent, death-oriented, gang-related, hate speech, sexually explicit, or sexually suggestive images or messages. 
    • Advertising for tobacco, alcohol, or drugs or drug paraphernalia. 
    • Identification of a student as a member of a secret or overtly antisocial group or gang or an organization that professes violence or hatred toward one’s fellow man. 
  • Visible tattoos or brands incompatible with the standards set forth herein shall be covered to prohibit their display.

The Board Policy Committee partnered with an internal district Uniform Task Force made up of representatives from Legal, PK-12 Schools Leadership, Equity and Student Supports (ESS), Instructional Leadership Directors (ILDs), and Principals when evaluating these changes. These leaders reviewed all available information, including but not limited to historical data, student/family/staff feedback, our current policy, policies used by other similar districts around the country and a number of potential student dress code options. These items, as well as the unique impacts seen during the pandemic, were all closely considered when making a final recommendation to the Board of Education.

Please note that these changes do not go into effect until the next school year, which is slated to begin on Thursday, August 11, 2022. 

 

Thank you for your continued support of OKCPS.

Dr. Sean McDaniel, Superintendent