Like Frasier, Ginsel believes the dress code affects more than just teacher appearances. “I see a difference in the level of respect. The behavior and discipline of our children is better and the teachers act more professional,” Ginsel said. “When our employees wear less professional attire, it affects the climate of the building.”
Administrators go over the teacher dress code with new teachers when they come into the HR Department. Principals review the dress code with all teachers when they arrive in August.
In general, the dress code says that an employee’s clothing “should always reflect a professional and businesslike atmosphere and should not attract unfavorable attention.” Huntsville’s dress code specifically prohibits tennis shoes, shorts, clothing with advertisements, revealing or provocative shirts, leggings, slippers, flip-flops, t-shirts, tank tops, warm ups, sweatsuits, wind suits, and overalls. It allows jeans and holiday shirts on days designated by the campus principal, and school spirit shirts on days when a campus athletic team has a playoff game.
The district revises the policy based on input from a committee and campus principals. One change it has made is to nix the requirement that teachers cover their tattoos. “Times are different and it’s a generational thing…[tattoos are] just more common now. You have to keep up with the times and change the policy to fit the times.”
Hico Superintendent Rod Townsend says his district has a dress code that teachers are expected to follow. Yet his succinct advice to them may be more useful than memorizing the code’s requirements:
As with the other districts here, the Hico professional staff doesn’t dress down on Fridays. Men are expected to wear slacks and shirts and women wear slacks with blouses or tops with sleeves.
One area where Townsend has seen a big change in dress is with job applicants. “We’ve had some college graduates applying for jobs in jeans and t-shirts. They don’t look professional at all, and I may not put their resume at the bottom of the pile but I do move it down in the pile,” Townsend said.
Like Ginsel and Frasier, Townsend believes appropriate dress has a positive affect on the atmosphere. “Kids are more observant and smarter than we give them credit for sometimes, and students react to teachers the way that teachers react to leadership,” Townsend said. “If you’re dressing the part, it sets a different tone.”
