In a world where fashion cannot be defined by one genre, the dress code policies at SHHS seem to reflect the same ambiguity.
Dress codes, defined by Merriam-Webster as “formally or socially imposed standards of dress,” have been long-standing institutions in schools globally. These fashion norms were initially an unspoken rule, indicative of political or social standing. According to Stanford research, “Dress codes are as old as clothing itself.” Today, they have evolved into a series of disciplinary guidelines —to be implemented or not — set in schools or places of work.
According to a Government Accountability Office report, 93 percent of school districts have policies regarding what students are and are not permitted to wear on campus grounds, including school-based extracurricular activities. But how many students are actually aware of the dress code in their own school? One SHHS student who did not want to be identified exclaimed, “We don’t have one!”
The student handbook for the Shaker Heights School District is updated annually. The 2025-2026 Student Handbook “Dress & Grooming” section states: “Appropriate dress and grooming enhance school safety, improve the academic environment, promote good behavior and eliminate unnecessary distractions from learning.” The policy prohibits any headwear including hoods — unless for religious wear — clothing that promotes drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex or violence, and “clothing that exposes undergarments and/or private body parts.”
But ask students if the high school has a dress code, and some will answer like senior Adelaide Millar. “I’m gonna say, ‘No,’ ” she said. Despite attending the school for four years, other seniors were uncertain when it came to the policy’s specific terms.
Senior Korei Washington added that the dress code exists “maybe just, like, for some clothing items.”
According to an October Shakerite survey of students, 73 percent of respondents agreed that they do not “know what the rules of the dress code are,” and 11.3 percent indicated that they were unsure if they knew them. Only 15.7 percent of students who responded stated that they knew the high school’s dress code policies.
If most students don’t know the dress code rules, how important are they? “I normally don’t think about what other people are wearing that much,” senior Sarah Holbrook said.
Fifty-nine percent of students surveyed believe that Shaker’s dress code is more lenient than neighboring school districts’ codes, while 33.6 percent were unable to answer the question because they did not know the dress code.
Should the high school’s dress code be more strict, or revised? “I think that the current dress code should be more strictly enforced,” said senior Kelsey Rogers, “but I don’t think that anything should be added to it.”
SHHS students can regularly be found sporting hoodies (but not wearing the hoods up), or, in warmer months, tank tops and tighter shorts (but not distracting learning). All apparently abide by the district’s policies.
Ambiguity about clothing standards could be cleared up by communicating the dress code. Said senior Julienne Avril, “That needs to be said somewhere.”
