Wauwatosa Schools Lift Legging, Yoga Pants Ban

WAUWATOSA, WI — As other school districts crack down on the wearing of form-fitting leggings and yoga pants, officials in Wauwatosa are loosening the former skin-tight regulations that prohibited the wearing of such attire.

In a letter sent to all district teachers and staff recently, Wauwatosa Superintendent Phil Ertl said that the district is making several changes to the dress code policy in an effort to create a more equitable learning experience that does not reinforce stereotypes.

"Beginning this year and moving forward, students will be able to wear the following, as long as these items do not violate the “prohibited” portion of the guidelines," he wrote.

● Hats must allow the face to be visible to staff and not interfere with the line of sight of any student.

● Hoodie sweatshirts (wearing the hood overhead is allowed, but the face and ears must be visible to school staff).

● Fitted pants, including opaque, leggings, yoga pants and “skinny jeans.” Items must not be see-through.

● Pajamas

● Ripped jeans, as long as the underwear and buttocks are not exposed.

● Tank tops, including spaghetti straps; halter tops

● Athletic attire

● Visible waistbands on undergarments or visible straps on undergarments worn under other clothing.

Others Tightening Legging and Yoga Pants Rules

In a report in the Kenosha News in early 2017, the parent of an 11-year-old middle school student challenged the Kenosha School Board the school board to lift its legging ban.

The mother argued that Kenosha Unified's ban implies that leggings are "too distracting" for the boys. She further explained to the board that district policy shifts the blame for certain types of unwelcome adolescent boy behavior directly onto the girls.

Kenosha's grapple with the leggings issue is just one place in the U.S. where parents and district officials are wrestling uneasily with how to proceed.

In one Florida school district officials are calling for a dress code change, banning leggings, yoga pants and tights if not covered by a shirt or skirt no more than 4 inches above the knee. And they propose redefining the activities that could lead to expulsion to include continuous disruptive behavior (defined as 14 or more referrals).

In early February 2014, media reports stated that a Massachusetts school was re-examining a decision it made to enforce a dress code ban on yoga pants after students protested the policy.

In Oklahoma, school district officials had to crack down on their dress code policy in 2014 after a number of reported bullying incidents after a number of girls came forward about boys in the school making derogatory comments about form-fitting pants, including leggings and tights.

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