By By BETTY MITCHELL GRAY
Staff Writer
Students in Beaufort County’s public schools will be able to wear shirts with logos and screen printing to class this year under changes recently made to the Beaufort County Schools’ student dress code.
The changes, made at the recommendation of school principals, repeal the prohibition on manufacturer’s labels or emblems on shirts and other garments and a prohibition on graphics or screen-printing on shirts and other garments, according to Sarah Hodges, public information officer for Beaufort County Schools.
However, students wearing garments with screen-printing that is deemed offensive will be asked to remove the garment, Hodges said.
The determination of what is deemed “offensive” will be made by school administrators, she said.
“The school principals thought that these changes would make the dress code a more enforceable policy,” Hodges said.
Copies of the revised dress code will be made available to local retail businesses to help parents and students interpret the new dress code before buying new clothes for school, Hodges said.
The new code removes language barring graphics and screen-printing from the section addressing pants, skirts, shorts, jumpers, dresses, shorts and capris. It also now allows manufacturer’s labels no larger than 3 inches by 3 inches to be worn to class.
Similar changes apply to shirts, other approved tops and coats.
Other aspects of the dress code remain the same, Hodges said.
Among them are the following:
• Students will still be required to wear shirts — with collars — that are tucked in at all times. Sleeveless shirts remain prohibited.
• Pants, skirts, shorts, jumpers, dresses, shorts and capris must be solid tan khaki, solid navy blue or solid black, as previously required. Shirts, shorts, jumpers, dresses and shorts cannot be shorter than 3 inches above the knee.
• Students in the fourth though 12th grades will continue to be required to wear a belt if the garment has belt loops.
• And oversized, undersized and skin-tight garments of any kind continue to be prohibited.
A downloadable copy of the student dress code is available at www.beaufort.k12.nc.us.