In early October, parents with children in grades 4-12 were invited to share their thoughts on the secondary (grades 5-12) dress code through a survey. One of the zillion things I love about Wylie ISD is parent involvement. Nearly 6,000 responses were submitted by parents, providing valuable feedback to be considered by the Wylie ISD Dress Code Committee. Thank you for caring about our kids and our school district!
“The School Belongs to the Community”
When I took on my first superintendent role, a mentor told me, “The school belongs to the community. It’s their school, and you are the caretaker.” This advice stuck with me and was at the top of my mind when we began discussing the upcoming secondary dress code review.
We review the secondary dress code about every two years. This “review year” allows us to look closely at what’s working, what might need updating, and how we can create a dress code that best fits the needs of our students and families and our community values. This time, we invited parent feedback as part of the review to ensure your voice was included as we shape future policy.
We know dress code, like many school-related issues, means different things to different people, and there are A LOT of opinions. Our goal is to balance the flexibility many families seek with a standard that ensures clear expectations, practical choices, and a positive learning environment. We also want to make decisions with enough lead time for parents to plan for the next school year.
Secondary Dress Code Review Process
How does this process work? It’s pretty thorough!
The review process involves several steps:
- Each secondary campus has a dress code committee of students, staff, and parents. These committees will review the survey results, the current dress code, and policies from other districts (currently underway).
- Campus committees will submit recommendations to a district-level committee next month.
- The district-level committee will consolidate these ideas into a proposal for the Wylie ISD Board of Trustees.
The Board will review and vote on the dress code, which, upon approval, will go into effect for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years. The dress code will not change for this school year.
As part of this review, it’s important to share a few non-negotiables that will not change in our dress code. These include requiring clothing that covers the chest, midsection, and upper thighs. Vulgar, offensive, gang-related, or drug/alcohol-promoting messages clothing are not allowed. We will not permit see-through or transparent clothing, pajamas, sleepwear, or fishnet/lace hosiery. Everyone’s comfort level is different, and we believe these non-negotiables are reasonable to help us maintain a respectful and focused school environment.
Survey Results
It’s clear the dress code is something that matters to you, and we’re grateful for your input! We distributed 16,339 surveys to parents of students in grades 4-12. A total of 5,636 surveys were completed. The survey was also shared with secondary staff members, yielding a response rate of nearly 47%. Here’s a look at the results for each question:
You may also click HERE to see the results if you are experiencing issues viewing the graphic.
Comments Matter Too!
These results give us a lot to work with, and we also received many comments from parents and staff, providing valuable context and insight into the survey responses. For example, nearly 66% of parents said yes to the question, “Should Wylie ISD allow athleisure wear such as leggings, sweatpants, and joggers? However, we received several comments that leggings should not be included. We will use the comments to guide this process and appreciate you taking the time to share them.
What’s Next?
Our goal is to have a final dress code proposal for trustees to hear as an informational item in January and then again as a voting item in February. We promise to keep you updated along the way. I know the dress code may seem like a small detail, but it’s one of those things that shapes the school experience. That’s why we’re committed to taking the time to get it right, the Wylie Way!
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