Teachers in a historic Connecticut town will have to adhere to a strict new dress code banning miniskirts, sheer clothing and yoga pants.
Educators working at Torrington’s seven different public schools will no longer be allowed to wear shorts, dresses, skirts that are shorter than two inches above the knee in length or flip-flops.
Also considered inappropriate are graphic T-shirts, sweatpants, sweatshirts, pajama pants, jeans, yoga pants and other tight-fitting, sheer or low-cut outfits.
Graphic tees and jeans are only allowed on spirit days, NBC Connecticut reported.
This idea was proposed by Gary Eucalitto, a member of the school board who chairs the policy committee. He made the proposal after discussing updating the student dress code.
‘I think the staff needs to understand that that is it is important to present an image,’ Eucalitto said at a meeting on Wednesday evening.
Ed Corey, a co-chairperson on the board, said there wasn’t any one incident that prompted the crackdown on teachers’ style of dress.
‘The vast majority of our teachers are already in compliance with the policy that just passed the vast majority of the time,’ he said. ‘Nobody’s been getting in trouble, and we expect that to continue.’
The school board in Torrington, Connecticut (pictured), has laid down law with teachers by hitting them with a dress code, something typically reserved for students
It bans them from wearing yoga pants, miniskirts, jeans and other clothing items (stock image)
Jason Lafreniere, a special education teacher, was present at the meeting and appeared slightly displeased that he wouldn’t be able to wear jeans anymore but ultimately said he accepted the decision.
‘Being present every day and offering a supportive, engaging and rigorous environment is another way we are role models to our students on a daily basis,’ Lafreniere said.
‘Can I do that in jeans and sneakers? Sure. But I get that the board and administration want us to be more than role models in our actions, but also in the way we look.’
The dress code has exceptions for gym teachers and custodial staff.
The policy also states that employees can be told to change if they are violating dress coded.
This idea was proposed by Gary Eucalitto (pictured), a member of the school board who chairs the policy committee
Heidi Laus, a former school board member, expressed discomfort with that.
‘This prescriptive list risks undermining professional judgment, creates unnecessary rigidity in the profession that demands daily flexibility,’ Laus said. ‘Do you really want to be administrators inspecting clothing every morning?’
The Daily Mail approached the Torrington Board of Education for comment.
