School board discusses dress code after spaghetti strap dress debate

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- After the debate over a sundress went viral, making local and national headlines, the Lee County School Board is making some changes.

WINK News first told you about the two high school students who were stripped of their National Honor Society titles because they were wearing spaghetti strap dresses.

Those positions were later restored after a flurry of media attention.

Now the board has decided they won’t make any changes to the dress code. Instead, they will make sure each school principal is in charge of making it clear what dress codes are for special events and field trips.

“We have decided the dress code itself is sufficient, more than sufficient. The responsibility is with the principals and their staff and the execution of the dress code and them giving clarity to students,” said school board member Pamela LaRiviere.

LaRiviere says the only gray area that the dress code does not include will be sporting events, like football games.

“If it’s something that’s blatantly inappropriate it will be dealt with, just like behavior,” said LaRiviere.

Caroline Boland, the mother of one of the students stripped of her National Honor Society title for wearing a sundress, tells WINK News she doesn’t care what the dress code is as long as it’s consistent and clear to the students.

Clarification for enforcement of the dress code will likely be added to the Student Code of Conduct book. The board will vote on the change at an upcoming action meeting.