Grand Rapids Reporter

GRPS has adopted a new dress code policy that will provide scholars with freedom to express themselves while ensuring safety and educational goals.

In alignment with our objectives identified by our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan, GRPS has adopted a new dress code policy that was approved by the Board of Education on August 1, 2022. School uniforms will no longer be required for the 2022-2023 school year.

The purpose behind this policy is to provide scholars with freedom to express themselves while ensuring safety and educational goals. The new dress code prohibits dress and personal grooming that:

1. Endangers or interferes with the health or welfare of the scholars; and/or
2. Causes disruption or directly interferes with the educational process; and/or
3. Promotes illegal activities; and/or
4. Includes logos that promote drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gangs, racism, sexism, or any type of prejudice. 

For example, scholars must be dressed appropriately for the school setting, no undergarments, midriff, or cleavage should be showing. Head coverings are allowed for religious or medical purposes only.

Additional guidance regarding the dress code is available in the GRPS Scholar Resource and Responsibility Guide (formerly known as Student Handbook), which you will find on the GRPS website at grps.org/scholarguide.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact your scholar’s school directly. You may also call the Communications Department at 616-819-2149 or email communications@grps.org.

Dress Code Announcement from June, 2022

In June of 2022, the District made an important decision regarding school uniforms and a new dress code for the 2022-2023 school year.

One of the priority outcomes for our new GRPS Strategic Plan is to “increase scholar empowerment, belonging and agency.” The Superintendent’s Scholars Advisory Council strongly advocated for the district to eliminate the school uniform requirement. Based on this feedback, we agreed to conduct a survey of scholars, families, and staff to gauge whether we should make a change. The survey results showed families and staff were largely split about the uniform requirement, while our scholars were overwhelmingly opposed to it.

In keeping with the priority outcomes identified in our Strategic Plan, we have made the decision to eliminate the PK-12 school uniform requirement and implement a new dress code policy for the 2022-2023 school year.

The new GRPS Scholar Dress Code Policy will be presented to and voted on by the Board of Education in the coming weeks. When the Scholar Dress Code Policy is finalized, we will send it out to scholars, families, and staff. 

Original source can be found here.