You won’t see the iconic Playboy logo on any students' clothes at schools in the Thames Valley District School Board.
The board has unveiled its new dress code for students. The revised Guidelines for Student Dress emphasize the school board’s focus on personal expression, autonomy, and anti-discrimination.
The new dress code allows students from K-12 to expose shoulders, abdomen, cleavage, legs, thighs, and hips. The guidelines only require students to cover their nipples, buttocks, and groin with garments made of opaque material.
In September 2022, TVDSB trustees voted unanimously to develop a new board-wide dress code policy. The altered guidelines were developed by Thames Valley’s community and student Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committees, and the expectations apply to every school within the board.
According to the guideless, the updated dress code will allow students to exercise autonomy and affirm their ability to make choices that impact their bodies. These updated expectations are far less restrictive than traditional school dress codes, which often prohibit revealing attire such as short-shorts, skirts, tank tops, and crop tops.
TVDSB schools will maintain standard rules regarding inappropriate messages on clothing, including bans on logos such as the Playboy logo.
“Student dress that could reasonably be construed to symbolize, suggest, display, promotes or incite recreational drug or alcohol use, illegal or criminal activity; profanity; pornography; violence; the promotion of racial, creedbased, or other identity-based hatred; or that otherwise threatens health and safety, is not consistent with ensuring a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students and is therefore not permitted,” the new guidelines state.
While decisions regarding dress are now largely up to students and their families, principals and vice-principals are still responsible for assuring students adhere to board-wide expectations. The guidelines published on TVDSB’s website include tips and suggestions for staff members to implement when discussing dress code policies with students.
All schools within the board must now adhere to the Guidelines for Student Dress, unlike previous years in which individual schools could develop their own dress code. TVDSB maintains that a board-wide dress code will ensure consistency between schools and that students’ human rights are protected and promoted.
