Ottawa school board introduces new dress code six months after controversial ‘blitz’

Ottawa's French Catholic school board is implementing a "new gender-neutral, inclusive" dress code for students, six months after students at one high school expressed outrage about teachers and staff conducting a dress code "blitz."

Under the new dress code, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est says students can wear clothing that is appropriate for the school environment, but it "must be opaque, cover underwear and private parts."

The new dress code will come into effect at all 59 CECCE schools starting Jan. 9, 2023.

In May, students at Béatrice-Desloges Catholic High School in Orléans held a protest after they said teachers and staff conducted a dress code "blitz" that students said left them feeling degraded and humiliated.  One student said a teacher told her that her shorts were too short, and she had to do a "weird test" in front of staff.

In a letter to parents and students after the blitz on May 12, the board said the way the dress code was enforced was "unacceptable".

The board says the new dress code is the result of a "long review process and numerous consultations" that began in the fall of 2021, and included the CECCE student summit, student network, groups of students in all schools, trustees, unions, school councils, staff and the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity.

"This new code reflects the CECCE's focus on the well-being of students of all race, gender, orientation, privilege, bias, discrimination, disability, and more," CECCE Director of Education Marc Bertrand said in a statement. "The board's approach to developing this new dress code reflects a culture of continuous learning, listening and openness."

Under the dress code:

• Students must wear clothing that is appropriate for the school environment
• Students must wear attire that does not promote or symbolize drugs, alcohol, illegal activity, hatred, racism or discrimination, blasphemy, pornography, or incites violence or harassment
• Caps, hats and headgear may be worn outside of the classroom. Students must remove headwear in the classroom, during the national anthem, prayer and religious celebrations
• The face must be visible at all times
• Sunglasses can be worn in school if the student has a medical condition

Schools can implement dress codes for sports teams, clubs, bands, laboratories and other activities.

If there is an issue with the dress code, the board says the principal and school management must adopt a "discreet, individual and respectful procedure" to discuss it with the student.

Schools can modify the CECCE dress code for the individual school, and there is a process in place to review the policy at least once every two years.

In June, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board unveiled a new permissive dress code for all schools, saying it will allow students to "show your style" through clothing, head wear, hair style and accessories.

Students will be allowed to wear tank tops, spaghetti straps, halter tops, ripped jeans and hats.