Dress Code

View the Student & Family Handbook

Carmody Middle School’s student dress code supports our desire to ensure a safe, inclusive and productive learning environment for all members of our community. Our school is a place of learning and a place of work and business, thus all community members – staff as well as students – are expected to comply with our dress code.

Dress Code Principles

Our dress code is founded on the following principles:

Ensuring respect for self and being respectful of all members of our learning community
All students and staff should understand that they are responsible for managing their own personal "distractions" without regulating individual students' clothing or self-expression.
All students should be able to dress appropriately for school and engage in the educational environment without fear of or actual unnecessary discipline or body shaming.
Student dress code enforcement should not result in unnecessary barriers to school attendance.
School staff should be trained and able to use student and body-positive language to explain the code and to address code violations.
Teachers should focus on teaching without the additional and often uncomfortable burden of dress code enforcement.
To ensure effective and equitable enforcement of this dress code, school staff shall enforce the dress code consistently and in a manner that does not reinforce or increase the marginalization or oppression of any group.
As members of the Carmody learning community, we should represent Carmody MS with dignity and pride in our attire at all school-sanctioned events, on and off our campus.

Dress Code Goals

Our student dress code is designed to accomplish the goal of maintaining a safe and inclusive learning environment. This includes:

Enabling the ability to identify individuals in person and on video cameras.
Wearing proper attire in classes where protective or supportive clothing is needed, such as science, pre-engineering, theatre tech (eye and/or body protection), and lifetime fitness and health (athletic attire and shoes).
Prevent students from wearing clothing or accessories with offensive images or language, including profanity, hate speech and pornography.
Prevent students from wearing clothing or accessories that will interfere with the operation of the school, disrupt the educational process, invade the rights of others, or create a reasonably foreseeable risk of such interference or invasion of rights.
Prevent students from wearing clothing or accessories that reasonably can be construed as being or including content that is racist, lewd, vulgar or obscene, or that reasonably can be construed as containing fighting words, speech that incites others to imminent lawless action, defamatory speech or threats to others.
Prevent students from wearing clothing or accessories that denote, suggest, display or reference alcohol, drugs or related paraphernalia or other illegal conduct or activities.
Allow students to wear clothing that expresses their self-identified gender.
Allow students to wear religious attire without fear of discipline or discrimination.
Ensure that all students are treated equitably regardless of race, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, cultural observance, household income or body type or size.

Carmody Middle Dress Code

Carmody expects that all students and staff members will dress in a way that is appropriate for the school day or for any school-sponsored event. As noted in district policy JICA, the primary responsibility for a student’s attire resides with the student and their parent(s) or guardian(s).

School district policy notes that student attire, hairstyles and personal grooming habits will be accepted provided they are not disruptive and/or distracting to the educational process or are not detrimental to the health, safety, or morals of individuals. Additionally, Carmody is responsible for ensuring student attire does not contribute to a hostile or intimidating atmosphere for any member of our learning community. Any restrictions to the way a student dresses must be necessary to support the overall educational goals of Carmody Middle School and must be explained within this dress code.

I. Basic principle

Certain body parts must be covered for all students at all times.

Clothes must be worn in a way such that genitals, buttocks, breasts, and nipples are fully covered with opaque fabric. Additionally, students should limit the exposure of the upper thigh (region above the area where a person’s fingers reach on the upper leg to the hip or waist area) and stomach areas out of respect for all community members. All items listed in the “must wear” and “may wear” categories below must meet this basic principle.

II. All students must wear

While following the basic principle of Section I above:

A shirt or top that covers the mid-section of the body (with fabric in the front, back, and on the sides under the arms), and
Pants, jeans or the equivalent (for example, a skirt, sweatpants, leggings, a dress or shorts), and
shoes.

Courses may include assignment-specific dress. Activity-specific shoe requirements are permitted (for example, athletic shoes for PE and close-toed shoes for pre-engineering).

III. All students may wear

As long as these items do not violate Section I above:

Religious headwear
Hoodie sweatshirts without the hood up as it inhibits the ability to see the face of the student.
Fitted pants, including opaque leggings, yoga pants and skinny jeans
Ripped jeans, as long as underwear and buttocks are not exposed.
Tank tops, halter tops, etc. in compliance with Section I above.
Athletic attire

IV. Students cannot wear

If wearing a mask, hoodies and headwear which inhibits the ability to see the face of the student. Staff may request the removal of non-religious headwear during instruction.
Violent language or images.
Images or language depicting drugs or alcohol or any illegal item or activity.
Hate speech, profanity, or pornography.
Images or language that create a hostile or intimidating environment based on any protected class or consistently marginalized groups.
Clothing that reveals undergarments that cover the areas of the mid-section, genitals, buttocks, breasts, and nipples.
Swimsuits (except at the Carmody Rec Center for a school-sponsored event).
Pajamas or other nightwear unless part of a costume that is approved for Carmody’s school-sponsored spirit week.
Sunglasses
Accessories that could be considered dangerous or could be used as a weapon.

V. Dress code enforcement

To ensure effective and equitable enforcement of this dress code, school staff shall enforce the dress code consistently using the requirements below. School administration and staff shall not have the discretion to vary the requirements in ways that lead to discriminatory enforcement.

Students will only be removed from common areas, hallways, or classrooms as a result of a dress code violation as outlined in Sections I and IV above. Students in violation of Section I and/or IV will be provided three (3) options to be dressed more to code during the school day:
- Students will be asked to put on their own alternative clothing, if already available at school, to be dressed more to code for the remainder of the day.
- Students will be provided with temporary school clothing to be dressed more to code for the remainder of the day.
- If necessary, students’ parents may be called during the school day to bring alternative clothing for the student to wear for the remainder of the day.
School staff shall not enforce the school’s dress code more strictly against transgender and gender nonconforming students than other students.
Students should not be shamed or required to display their body in front of others (students, parents, or staff) in school. “Shaming” includes, but is not limited to:
- Kneeling or bending over to check attire fit.
- Measuring straps or skirt length.
- Asking students to account for their attire in the classroom or in hallways in front of others.
- Calling out students in common areas, in hallways, or in classrooms about perceived dress code violations in front of others; in particular, directing students to correct sagged pants that do not expose their undergarments, or confronting students about visible straps and waistbands on undergarments.
- Accusing students of “distracting” other students with their clothing. Such conversations should take place in a respectful manner and in a setting away from other parties.

These dress code guidelines shall apply to regular school days and summer school days, as well as during any school-related events and activities, such as school socials, ceremonies, and performances. Students who feel they have been subject to discriminatory enforcement of the dress code should contact Carmody Middle School’s administration.

Dress Code Guidance in Jeffco

Responsibility for student dress and appearance generally rests with individual students and their families. Students may wish to express themselves by the manner of their dress and appearance; however, students shall not wear clothing or affect an appearance at school or school-sanctioned activities or events that is disruptive to the educational environment. Jeffco Public Schools standards on student attire are intended to help students focus on schoolwork, reduce discipline problems, and improve school order and safety.

Disciplinary action for violating the student dress code shall include notifying the student of the violation and requiring that the dress or appearance be corrected before the student reenters the classroom, school environment, or school-sanctioned activity or event. At the discretion of the building-level administrator, a family conference may be held. More serious consequences may result from repeated or serious violations.