Many people feel as though their appearance represents their identity, whether that’s through a hairstyle, a pair of shoes, or an outfit. While many students seek self-expression in the form of the clothes they wear, the personal choice in planning an outfit leaves the overall tone of someone’s “look” up to some variability. At schools in particular, students’ outfits often include a range from classy and professional clothes to more casual streetwear. Dress codes matter, and KO’s dress code needs to be acknowledged by students and enforced by faculty every day. Without faculty enforcing KO’s dress code, students will foster a lack of respect for the obligations of the Upper School Community Handbook. Both students and faculty are part of the trend towards more casual dress at school. However, many on campus are upset with this rule-breaking, as it makes it impossible to get the Wednesday Spirit Days back.
Following the dress code is a non-negotiable school rule, as expressed in the KO Community Handbook. By deliberately not following the dress code, students are not following school rules. The purpose of the dress code is to come to school looking put-together, and it’s a policy KO has implemented to make the school a more formal learning environment. The handbook outlines appropriate outfits for dress-up days, clothing and articles prohibited from daily dress, and dress code enforcement protocols, all of which promote professionalism on campus. “The goal of KO’s dress code is to assure that all students, Upper Prep through Form 6, come to campus each day dressed in a neat manner consistent with the school’s values,” the 2024-25 Community Handbook says. Among these values are “demonstrate respect” and “take personal responsibility,” which are uplifted not just in classrooms and on sports fields, but in our choices of daily dress as well. “The following are not permitted on campus during the school day, either inside or outside buildings: sweatpants, hooded sweatshirts, or athletic sandals,” the 2024-25 US Community Handbook outlines. Any instance where a student wears something out of dress code warrants a dress code write-up, which appears in both student and parent Blackbaud portals as an infraction. However, these consequences do not prevent students from choosing to be out of dress code.
In addition to students’ obligation to follow the dress code, teachers and advisors are responsible for being consistent and writing up students when they see clothes that are out of dress code. When more teachers “give up” and let students out of dress code off the hook with an unofficial, unwritten warning, more and more people will be out of dress code. If a trend is established, eventually, Kingswood Oxford students will be wearing sweats to school every day. I have seen teachers not dress-coding students because they either like the student or don’t care about enforcing the dress code and its impact on our community. On a day-to-day basis, I see people wearing hoodies and leggings. Although leggings are allowed, they must be worn with a nicer shirt or nicer shoes to prevent an overall casual and athletic look. However, this exception creates more room for students to bend the rules; one day, I saw a girl wearing sweatpants and a nice shirt, and nobody dress-coded her. Although leggings were permitted with the intention of providing a more comfortable environment while maintaining a professional appearance, the outcome of that decision (where students feel empowered to be consistently out of dress code) causes more harm than good to our community’s standard of dress. Although there seems to be a non-negotiable determination of being in or out of dress code, I have seen, in my classes, many teachers who hold a threat of a dress code writeup over students. For instance, when I saw a student wearing a hoodie with a huge logo across the back, the teacher only issued a verbal warning “for next time.” However, a problem arises when teachers don’t follow through with disciplinary action, leaving rule-breakers unpunished.
There are many people within the KO community who strongly care about students following the dress code and if everyone can follow the school dress code, students may be able to earn back the Wednesday Spirit Days that have existed in previous years. This will be a joyous day for all students and faculty, because seeing our school colors and swag can help us feel pride for our school and feel connected to one another. The reason why KO Spirit Days don’t happen anymore is because people were taking advantage of the “dress down” day. Even though the colors students could wear were black, gray, crimson, or orange, students would wear white hoodies or the wrong color sweatpants to school. This got away from the intention and essence of the Spirit Day, and since students would consistently break the rules, this privilege was taken away. “Spirit Days will no longer be every Wednesday but are reserved for special days as announced by the Upper and Middle Schools,” Head of School Tom Dillow wrote in a schoolwide email in August.
Upper School Dean of Students Kata Baker also shared that the dress code was taken advantage of. “Last year, Spirit Days were not always followed in a manner consistent with the goal of the day and the guidelines of the handbook,” Mrs. Baker wrote in another August mailing. 2028 Class President freshman Eva Penta said that if fewer than 10 students get dress-coded in a week, KO’s Upper School will get a Wednesday Spirit Day the next week. Although Wednesday spirit days should not happen every day, they would be a nice reward for students following the school rules, giving everyone a break from a stricter dress code, leaving everyone wanting more spirit days.
Our dress code matters, as it makes a difference in the classiness of our school, and following it upholds our KO core value of demonstrating respect. It makes us a community that people want to be in. When the dress code is enforced, it sets us apart from other schools by creating a productive and professional learning environment like no other. Can KO really claim to be a place where students “conquer ourselves” if they are not held to a constant, consistent, and comprehensive standard of excellence? Faculty and students are encouraged to respect the KO school rules and the dress code, as both groups play important roles in upholding this aspect of our community.
