School Dress Code

Canady v. Bossier Parish School District

Dress Code

• School Board implemented a dress code for 17 of the 34 schools in the district.

• Reason was to reduce violence and improve testing scores and data would be collected.

• Both objectives were achieved and the board decided to implement the dress code policy to all 34 schools.

• Plaintiffs, group of parents, argued that the policy limited freedom of expression, does not improve learning, are expensive and violate religious rights.

Dress Code

• District court upheld the boards’ policy.• Plaintiffs appealed and the State Supreme

Court of LA upheld the lower court’s decision. • Reasons for upholding the policy:– Sometimes school boards’ regulation of student

behavior outweighs individual students’ rights to free speech.

Relevant Cases on Freedom of Speech

• Tinker v. Des Moines – free speech, not directly related to school dress

• Bethel School District v. Fraser – lewd metaphors during a political speech in a school assembly

• Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier - students censored in the school paper for writing objectionable stories

How to Prevent Problems

• Collect data on student achievement before and after the policy was instituted.

• Have full support of the Board.• Look at relevant cases and make sure you have

a leg to stand on.• Always assume there will be a plaintiff in a

free speech policy.