The first days of school are right around the corner, and administrators at Marietta Public Schools are asking that before parents take their students back-to-school shopping, they review the dress code to make sure that any items purchased to be worn at school will meet the dress code requirements.
High school principal Adam Sherfield said most infractions of the code come from just a few sources.
“We have changed some of the wording to make it easier to understand, but there’s nothing new,” he said. “The biggest problems we’ve had in the past couple of years have been short shirts, jeans with holes that show skin at mid-thigh and above, and short athletic shorts.”
The dress code states that hems on tops must extend past the waistband of shorts/pants/skirts so that no skin of the stomach is visible. Additionally, the code says that no holes or frays in jeans/shorts may extend more than 2½ inches above the knee.
As for shorts, the minimum length is 2½ inches above the knee.
Middle school principal Carrie Tucker said that in her building, too-short shorts are a problem that she and her staff struggle with, along with holes in jeans displaying too much skin.
One more issue that Sherfield mentioned is that leggings must be worn with a thigh-length shirt.
“We are just asking students to remember that they represent our school in the community, even with the way they dress,” Sherfield remarked, “and to represent Marietta Schools with good taste, modesty, and pride.”
The dress code can be found in its entirety within the student handbook under the “Parents/Students” tab on the school’s website at mariettaisd.org.
Although the dress code hasn’t changed, a new handbook that combines elementary and secondary schools will be uploaded to the website soon.