Equity in Dress Codes

No child should have their body objectified or shamed for what they wear to school or how they stylistically express themselves. Fair dress codes uphold respect for cultural expression, prohibit hate speech in accordance with the law, and have no disparate impact based on race or gender nor harmful exclusionary disciplinary responses.

IDRA assists school districts to help them review their codes of conduct, including dress code and hairstyle sections, to ensure they are free from bias and disproportionate impacts and to stop using exclusionary practices inappropriately.

Also, with our legal analysis expertise, we support students and communities to press for changes in their schools. For example, IDRA contributed to and sign on to a June 2022 letter to the Austin Independent School District with 10 recommendations for revising its code of conduct to ensure supportive, inclusive, and equitable environments for all students. With planning and policy review and revision that was underway for the 2022-23 school year, we urged Austin ISD and all school districts to:

Memorialize the district’s philosophy of discipline in the code of conduct
Fully integrate culturally responsive restorative practices throughout the code of conduct
Seek and incorporate student, family, and community to co-create student rights and responsibilities policies
Include “frequently asked questions” and hypotheticals and scenarios for students and families to better understand their rights and responsibilities
Create more explicit policy and practice around interviews of students
Clarify and create firm boundaries for the limited role of security staff (including police) in schools
Review and revise policy language to increase clarity for students and families
Continue to improve accessibility and engagement for students, families, and the community
Establish expectations for adult behavior within the code of conduct
Reimage and redirect personnel allocations for police and security positions.

Learn more about these recommendations by reviewing the letter submitted by Texas Center for Justice and Equity, MEASURE, Texas Appleseed, IDRA, Excellence and Advancement Foundation, Austin Justice Coalition, Educators in Solidarity, Texas Civil Rights Project, and Youth Rise Texas.

CROWN Act

The CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” is a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists or bantu knots. In 2023, Texas became the 23rd state to enact the CROWN Act, which IDRA advocates.

ACLU-Texas sent 51 letters co-signed by IDRA and others to the superintendents of the school districts still in potential violation of the CROWN Act. By the next day one school district had already committed to updating their dress code for the next school year, July 25, 2024
Texas’ CROWN Act Gives Every Texan a Fair Chance to Succeed Without Identity-Based Hair Discrimination – IDRA Testimony for House Bill 567, submitted by Alisha Tuff to the Texas House Committee of State Affairs, March 22, 2023 – See video
Texas’ Crown Act Opens Doors for a Better Texas – IDRA Testimony for House Bill 567, submitted by Alisha Tuff to the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee, May 8, 2023

Learn more about the national campaign at the: Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) website.

Student Voices

Policing Students Through Dress Codes Needs to Stop, by Ryan Cyrus, High School Senior, IDRA Newsletter, September 2022

Dress Codes: A Racist, Sexist History and Why They Must be Changed, by Adam Shelburn, High School Junior, IDRA Newsletter, September 2022

School Safety Requires Listening, by Hawaii Guerin, High School Senior, IDRA Newsletter, September 2022

33 Years Later, Tough on Crime Still Bad for Students, by Makiah Lyons, Knowledge is Power February 24, 2023

Student Researchers Collect Insights from Peers about the Pandemic’s Effects on Schooling, Ana Ramón, IDRA Newsletter, March 2021

Student Reflections on Schooling During COVID-19 – Student-Led Research Project Explores Effects of the Pandemic on Students and Schooling, Report, by Jacqueline Campos, Monica Cruz, Alejo Peña Soto, Fatimah Rasul & Ana Ramón, IDRA, August 2021

Student Researchers Report on Struggles their Peers Face During COVID-19, by Jacqueline Campos, Monica Cruz, Alejo Peña Soto, Fatimah Rasul & Ana Ramón, IDRA Newsletter

IDRA Articles

Principal Checklist to Reduce Bullying and Harassment – Supporting Safety and Learning for All, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter, October 2021

Eliminate Bias and Discrimination Against Black Students – IDRA Public Comment for HB 392, Presented by Dr. Altheria Caldera to the Texas House State Affairs Committee, April 29, 2021

Student Researchers Collect Insights from Peers about the Pandemic’s Effects on Schooling, Ana Ramón, IDRA Newsletter, March 2021

Racial and Gender Disparities in Dress Code Discipline Point to Need for New Approaches in Schools, Chloe Latham Sikes, M.A., IDRA Newsletter, February 2020

Religion Equity and School Dress Codes, Sulema Carreón-Sánchez, Ph.D., and Phoebe Schlanger, IDRA Newsletter, August 2018

Dress Codes and Religion Equity – Podcast Episode 186, Phoebe Schlanger, Nada Mousa, David Hinojosa, J.D., October 25, 2018

Eradicating the School-to-Prison Pipeline through a Comprehensive Approach to School Equity, by Morgan Craven, Paula Johnson & Terrence Wilson, Arkansas Law Review