>> FROM THE LOCAL STATION NEWSFOURJAX. ♪
NEWSFOURJAX. ♪ >> RIGHT NOW, 6 O’CLOCK NEWS
FOR JAX. IS THAT A NEW RECORDS
ON STUDENT DRESS CODE
VIOLATIONS IN SAINT JOHNS
COUNTY, ONE SCHOOL IN
PARTICULAR HAS BY FAR THE MOST
IN THE DISTRICT. THE RECORDS
WE OBTAINED TODAY ALSO SHOW
THAT THERE HAD BEEN MORE THAN
200 DRESS CODE VIOLATIONS
RECORDED SINCE THE SCHOOL YEAR
BEGAN.
>> AND AS WE’VE REPORTED, THE
COUNTY RECENTLY OVERHAUL THE
DRESS CODE IN RESPONSE TO MANY
COMPLAINTS THAT IT WAS UNFAIR
TO GIRLS AND ALSO PROMPTED A
FEDERAL TITLE 9 INVESTIGATION
INTO THE DISTRICT’S PRACTICES.
>> NEWS 4 JAX. I TEAM
INVESTIGATOR JOE MCLEAN DUG
THROUGH THE RECORDS AND JOINS
US LIVE FROM SWITZERLAND.
POINT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
>> JOE, THIS IS THE SCHOOL
THAT HE’S HAD, THE HIGHEST
NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS.
>> IT IS TOM. IN FACT, THE
RECORDS WE GOT A WHOLE SHOWS
THAT 43%, OF ALL THE DRESS
CODE VIOLATIONS ACROSS THE
ENTIRE DISTRICT SO FAR THIS
YEAR. 43 1% OF THEM HAVE
HAPPENED RIGHT HERE
SWITZERLAND POINT MIDDLE
SCHOOL. SO 2 MAIN THINGS I
FOUND WHEN I LOOKED AT RECORDS
FIRST THAT THE DISTRICT’S
ENFORCEMENT OF THE DRESS CODE
POLICY IS PRETTY INCONSISTENT
FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL. AND I
ALSO FOUND THAT THE VAST
MAJORITY OF VIOLATIONS ARE
STILL GOING TO FEMALE
STUDENTS.
>> SO FAR THIS SCHOOL YEAR,
THE SAINT JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL
DISTRICT RECORDED 245 DRESS
CODE VIOLATIONS. WHEN YOU
COMPARE THAT TO THE LAST FEW
YEARS, YOU CAN SEE WE’VE
ALREADY NEARLY DOUBLED THE
YEAR-LONG TOTALS IN 2019 2020.
WE’RE ON TRACK TO SURPASS EVEN
LAST YEAR’S GIANT INCREASE.
BUT THE ISSUES APPEARED TO BE
ISOLATED. ABOUT 96% OF ALL THE
DISTRICT’S DRESS CODE
VIOLATION SO FAR THIS YEAR
HAVE HAPPENED. JUST 4 SCHOOLS
BARTRAM TRAIL HIGH WITH 25
CREEKSIDE HIGH WITH 51. NICE
HIGH WITH 54. AND BY FAR THE
MOST VIOLATIONS AT SWITZERLAND
POINT MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH 105
VIOLATIONS. AT THOSE 4,
THOUGH, FEMALE STUDENTS STILL
RECEIVED A DISPROPORTIONATE
NUMBER OF THE DRESS CODE WRITE
UPS 9 OUT OF EVERY 10
VIOLATIONS WERE GIVEN TO
GIRLS.
>> THE ONLY WORD THAT COMES UP
FOR ME IS IT’S A TOXIC
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE
GIRLS. BRISTOW HAS A DAUGHTER
IN 8TH GRADE AND SAYS SHE’S
NOT AGAINST THE DISTRICT
HAVING A DRESS CODE BUT
WORRIES ABOUT THE EDUCATIONAL
IMPACT OF ITS ENFORCEMENT.
WHAT YOU HAVE THIS CONSTANT,
YOU KNOW, FEAR THAT I’M GOING
TO BE DRESS CODE AND THAT, YOU
KNOW, SOMEBODY IS MISSING
SOMETHING THAT MY FRIEND IS
BEING DRESS CODED IT ALL. IT
DOES TRIGGER THE PART OF THE
BRAIN THAT IS NOT SET UP FOR
LEARNING. IT’S SET UP FOR BEER
FOR FLIGHT LAST YEAR. SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY WAS THRUST INTO
THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION WHEN
A YEARBOOK FROM BARTRAM TRAIL
HIGH SCHOOL WAS INITIALLY
RELEASED WITH DOZENS OF FEMALE
STUDENT PHOTOS DIGITALLY
EDITED FOR MODESTY. THE SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
VOTED LAST YEAR TO STRIKE THE
MALE FEMALE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE
FROM THE DISTRICT’S STUDENT
DRESS CODE POLICY. IT ALSO
RELAXED SOME REQUIREMENTS ON
SHORTS AND INSTRUCTED STAFF TO
SOFTEN ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES.
>> STILL, THOUGH, SOME
FAMILIES IN THE DISTRICT SAY
THEY’RE STILL SEEN VIOLATIONS
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACT
FEMALE STUDENTS. IT’S ALMOST
THIS TOXIC PURITY THING YOU
KNOW YOU DON’T NECESSARILY SEE
IN IN OTHER PLACES THAT ARE
STRESSED ALREADY IN MIDDLE
SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL.
>> WHY ADD THIS TO THE IT’S
JUST SUCH AN UNNECESSARY
CONVERSATION, IN MY OPINION,
NOTABLY ALL OF THE VIOLATIONS
BOUGHT 5 WERE FIRST TIMERS,
MEANING THEY WALKED AWAY WITH
JUST A WARNING. STILL, STATE
STATUTE REQUIRES THAT THOSE BE
RECORDED AND OF COURSE, FOR
PARENTS TO BE NOTIFIED
>> AND OF COURSE, THE OTHER
BIG FACTOR HERE IS THE ONGOING
FEDERAL TITLE 9 INVESTIGATION
INTO THE SAINT JOHNS COUNTY
SCHOOL DISTRICT AND HOW AND
ENFORCED ITS DRESS CODE POLICY
THAT WAS LAUNCHED AFTER A LAST
YEAR AFTER A SERIES OF REPORTS
ABOUT HOW ABOUT SOME FEMALE
STUDENTS WERE GETTING UNFAIRLY
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S
OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IS
LOOKING INTO WHETHER OR
THROUGH ITS POLICY OR THROUGH
ITS THAT THE DISTRICT, WHETHER
OR NOT IT DISCRIMINATED
AGAINST FEMALE STUDENTS, THIS
INVESTIGATION COULD TAKE
MONTHS TO COMPLETE. AND JUST
BECAUSE THERE’S AN
INVESTIGATION DOESN’T
NECESSARILY MEAN THE DISTRICT