Free Dress Day

On October 31st, students may choose to wear free dress, fall colors or simple Halloween costumes. In addition to individual classroom guidelines, please follow the guidelines  below to minimize disruption and maximize the fun:

• Teachers/Staff cannot be responsible for putting on, taking off, or managing costumes. One suggestion is to have your child wear part of their costume to school. Phone calls home for forgotten costume items will not be allowed.
• Costumes should be appropriate for all regular school activities like quiet work times, recess, and P.E. Please be aware of the activities your child will be doing, and know that their costume may come back soiled/damaged. Tennis shoes are required for P.E. Consider sending your student with back up clothing in the event their costume fails.
• Minimal make-up is allowed, but students are not to bring any makeup items to school for application. No full face makeup or colored hair spray, as it will often come off on clothing, costumes, school supplies, food, and school furniture. If the makeup is creating a problem, your child may be asked to wash it off.
• Costumes should not include accessories such as guns, knives, swords, pitchforks or any other items that make them scary, gory, or violent. No costume masks. Please pay careful attention to the appropriateness of the costume for the school environment.

The guidelines mentioned above may seem overly restrictive, but they are designed to protect the safety of your children while assuring the opportunity for fun in the school setting. We want the children to have a great time AND have a productive day at school.

Free Dress Guidelines

Free dress days are the last Thursday of each month for all students. Common-sense guidelines apply such as no torn-out jeans, no clothes with inappropriate graphic or logos, or anything that promotes violence, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, racism or gang affiliation, no costume items, etc. Prohibited articles of clothing include but are not limited to:

• Pajamas, yoga pants, sweatpants, and joggers (except on “Pajama Day”)
• Trench coats or capes
• Tank tops and spaghetti or thin strap tops
• Bare midriff, or see-through clothing
• Form-fitting pants cannot be worn alone and must follow uniform guidelines as described in section 1(b)(iii) of the uniform policy at all times.

It is imperative that student attire does not contribute to a hostile or intimidating atmosphere for any student, and that dress code enforcement does not reinforce or increase marginalization or oppression of any group based on race, sex, gender, identity, religion, ethnicity, or cultural observance. Any such clothing items are not allowed, and students inappropriately dressed on free dress day will be asked to change. Parents will be contacted and asked to bring a change of clothes.

If in doubt as to whether an item is appropriate, send back-up clothing in the event your child is asked to change. Younger students are also encouraged to bring a change of clothes in their backpacks in case of accidents.