Dressed to Excess

At most schools, questions surrounding the dress code are often about equality and logic. But at New Roads, the question is this – what even IS the dress code? 

When New Roads students pick out their clothes in the morning, it is safe to say whether they will get dress-coded or not is the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, they would be forgiven for thinking that the school didn’t have a dress code at all. But, after sitting down with Jimmy Morrissey, the Dean of Student Life, it turns out that the dress code isn’t all that revolutionary – in fact, it would probably surprise most people.

According to the New Roads Handbook, “Shoes must be worn at all times on campus during the school day; Clothing with logos that depict illegal behavior or paraphernalia is not permitted; Clothing that is too tight or too loose, sheer, reveals a student’s stomach or midriff area and/or reveals undergarments is not allowed. A student dressed (in person or remote) in a manner deemed inappropriate may be asked to change, cover-up, or turn clothing inside out. The upper school administration and faculty will have an open dialogue with students and explain how the attire is inappropriate or retain the right to determine the appropriate course of action.”

The dress code itself is not shocking– it contains many rules schools are well-known for enforcing and logical restrictions. What is shocking is how tight the dress code appears in the face of students casually ignoring it. Many students can be seen around the school in crop tops, baggy shirts, tight leggings, shorts, etcetera. But, according to Morrissey, the hard-line dress code in the handbook is subjective. “We don’t have ‘a shirt can be this many inches, or this many inches of skin can be shown.’”

(Image reprinted from the New Roads 2023-2024 Student and Family Handbook.)

New Roads’ official dress code.

The school is well aware of a history of dress codes being targeted unfairly against female students. “The tricky part with dress code is that a lot of times, it is aimed towards clothing that female-identifying students would wear. So dress codes can come off as a little bit targeted toward female-identifying students. We want to be really sensitive about that,” Morrissey explains. He reveals that, at the beginning of the Dress Code chapter, the handbook states, “We respect creativity and individuality, and we understand that different people may have different sensibilities.”

Regarding why he and other administrators dress code students, Morrissey says, “A lot of the time, it is a subjective call. And a lot of the time, when we do have that conversation with students, they understand that what they are wearing is not something they should be wearing at school. Usually, the really straightforward ones, the really cut-and-dry ones, the alcohol references, the drug references, stuff like that, we don’t get those super often. Students usually know, ‘I shouldn’t be wearing this thing.’ We dress code a student once every few weeks, maybe.”

Morrissey admits that New Roads’ lax dress code enforcement can sometimes lead to confusion. He believes that messages that aren’t school-appropriate are pretty straightforward, but there is a gray area where he understands why a student might not fully understand why what they are wearing is a violation.

So, should you worry about being dress-coded? The answer, as long as you stick to the basic rules, is no. If you think you might get dress-coded for an outfit, avoid it. But generally, as is always the case with New Roads, the students have free reign. After all, according to Morrissey, “We want students to feel comfortable showing up as who they are, and what they wear is a big part of that.”