JENKS, Okla. — Some Jenks parents are frustrated after they said the district changed its dress code recently.
The new rules apply to students in grades 7th through 12th. The parents say the dress code unfairly targets female students.
2 News Oklahoma talked to a concerned mother who said she believes the way the schools are enforcing the dress code is sporadic at best. She's worried about the environment the district is creating for students.
"These are students that deserve a right to learn in a safe environment. I feel that the middle school and the high school are creating an unsafe environment, especially for our daughters," said Kristen Kogerman.
Some Jenks parents and students gathered before school Wednesday to protest the change in hopes of getting the district's attention.
“I feel a little bit like violated because I’m not comfortable with teachers looking at my body and pointing things out, measuring my shorts, it just feels a little bit disturbing,” said Sienna Renz a Jenks 8th grade student.
With signs and shirts that read “I am not a distraction” a few dozen students protested down the street from Jenks Middle School Wednesday.
“I haven’t even worn shorts this year because I don’t want to be dress coded,” Renz said.
Over the summer, Jenks school officials say the secondary principals requested a change to the dress code based on a desire to apply it more equitably including the length of shorts, skirts and dresses.
The policy used to say these items must have at least a 3 to 4 inch inseam but in June the school board approved a change that said they must cover the upper to mid-thigh.
One student claims she wore appropriate shorts and still got in trouble.
“I got dress coded because whenever we were jogging my short came up a little bit and she (a teacher) said that made them too short," said Josie Crain a Jenks 7th grade student.
The district says they sent the new expectations to families on Tuesday.
JPS statement on Tuesday::
We regret that some of the information sent previously was confusing or misleading. Our goal is to have students dress reasonably in order to maximize time in the classroom and minimize questions about dress code. We sincerely want to work closely with students and parents to address the confusion and eliminate any anxiety or frustration.
Many of the parents say they are frustrated that it wasn’t communicated sooner.
The district says it recognizes the change was not clearly communicated ahead of the school year.
Parents are also upset with the disruption this is causing.
“There was more concern last night about what to wear to school the next day versus studying in academics and when students have fear about being called out and humiliated in front of classmates that’s really not a good learning environment,” said Amanda Meadows a Jenks school parent.
Parents say this is also impacting their child’s mental health.
But Jenks officials say the mental health of students is a priority and they are simply trying to set a standard for clothing that provides reasonable coverage.
“They make us sit in the office for like however long it take for one of your parents to come and get you a change of clothes," Crain said. "If they don’t they make you go sit in in-house for the rest of the day.”
Meadows feels this sends a message that clothing is more important than an education.
“I think at the end of the day if it's safe, if it’s healthy, it shouldn’t affect whether or not a student has the ability to learn," Meadows said. "I mean unsafe would be wearing flip flops in gym class.”
Parents say they would like to meet with Jenks school leaders to have a conversation about the dress code, but students want something else…
“I hope that we somehow change their mind to get it to last years dress code,” Crain said.
The district says they would like to work with parents and students to eliminate any anxiety and confusion over this change.
The district sent out a longer statement later Wednesday morning to elaborate on the dress code issue:
"In the previous dress code policy, shorts were acceptable if they had at least a 3-4 inch inseam and kept private parts covered when the body was standing, sitting, or in motion. This summer, secondary principals requested a change to the dress code based on a desire to apply the dress code more equitably. The intent was to set a standard for students to attend school in clothing providing reasonable coverage. This change in policy was approved by the Board of Education in June of 2022. The updated language reads “Pants, jeans, skirts, sweatpants, leggings, a dress, shorts, or the equivalent should cover down to the upper or mid-thighs.”
Regrettably, this change was not clearly communicated to parents prior to the start of the school year. Current expectations were sent yesterday to all parents of 7-12 grade students. The length of shorts/skirts/dresses should be reasonable and cover down to the upper or mid-thighs. Our goal is to have students dress reasonably to maximize time in the classroom and minimize questions about dress code.
No student should ever be made to feel uncomfortable. Students should never be embarrassed or humiliated in front of their peers because of an article of clothing. The mental health and well-being of our students is always a priority, and we want our students to feel seen and heard. We sincerely want to work together with parents and students to eliminate any anxiety or confusion."
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