Dress code differences by school

Public high schools have the power to decide what kind of clothing students are allowed to wear in class. Across Orange County, the rules vary district-by-district.

At Goshen High School, for example spaghetti straps and crop tops are not allowed — but a couple of towns over in Monroe-Woodbury, a student could wear a cropped tank top problem-free.

Some rules are more consistent across districts: a majority of schools have explicit rules against wearing hats, and clothing with alcohol or drug messaging, for example.

Chester Union Free School District does not allow spaghetti straps or crop tops, but does allow muscle shirts.

Some dress code rules tend to target clothing traditionally worn by girls, such as the banning of spaghetti strap shirts or dresses, crop tops that would expose one’s midriff, and regulations for skirt, short and dress lengths. Handbooks with these length rules often use the “finger tip rule,” stating that the skirt’s hem must be longer than the students’ fingertips with their arms at their sides.

Repercussions also vary by district. If a student were to violate the dress code at Chester Union High School, they would be required to change into different clothing supplied to them by the school. At Delaware Valley High School, on the other hand, students are given hall pass restrictions or detention for breaking the dress code.