A plan to ban Crocs and ripped pants was put on hold at Woodland Hills High School after administrators reconsidered dress code policies in the first days of the new school year.
After students returned to school Wednesday, high school principals Shelly Manns and Berchman Grinage said in a letter to families that they “received a lot of feedback regarding the changes to the dress code.”
The principals said there was confusion regarding Crocs shoes and pants that are ripped, torn or have holes.
Regarding Crocs, the student handbook says students can wear sandals “provided that the heel is covered.” They cited a “safety concern” regarding that type of shoe.
The student handbook does not have a specific policy on pants with rips, tears or holes.
“Unfortunately, this was left to interpretation that was subjective,” the principals wrote, explaining that school officials had felt such pants were not in line with their goal of creating “a space that promotes a higher standard of dress” and preparing students for college and careers.
In their Wednesday letter, the high school principals said they would submit “specific language” dealing with Crocs and pants with rips, tears or holes to the school board next month. In the meantime, they said they would address “egregious instances of pants with holes where undergarments are visible.”
“While this may have caused undue stress to some of our students and their families, this was not our intent,” the principals wrote of the dress code confusions.
Please see the following update from Ms. Manns and Mr. Grinage regarding the high school dress code. pic.twitter.com/YidLjqpwJ3
— Woodland Hills High School (@WoodlandHillsHS) August 24, 2022
The next day, however, the principals reversed course on their Crocs and ripped or torn pants policies.
“After much thought, we have decided against the jeans and croc policy,” they said in a Thursday message to students and families. “For clarity, we will not ask the Board of Directors to enact this policy.”
Manns and Grinage said they had spent the last two days “engaging with students and parents to discuss numerous issues” they wanted to address in the new academic year.
The principals said they would work with parents, students and other stakeholders “to provide the best learning experience for our students.”
Please see this Thursday, Aug. 25 update from high school principals Ms. Shelly Manns and Mr. Berchman Grinage regarding the high school dress code. pic.twitter.com/dPMYqUKIMK
— Woodland Hills High School (@WoodlandHillsHS) August 25, 2022
District officials on Friday did not return phone calls from the Tribune-Review for comment on the dress code policies.
