Clarifying Catlin Gabel School's dress code

Clean, neat, and appropriate? Photo by Emma Lattendresse

According to an email sent to the Upper School by Dean of Students Brandon Woods’ on Sept. 12, the Catlin Gabel School’s (CGS) Dress Code is as follows: “The School’s standard is simply that clothing be neat, clean, and appropriate to the program of the day. Students who arrive on campus wearing inappropriate clothing will be asked to return home to change.”

Due to its brevity, the wording, “neat, clean, and appropriate,” leaves a lot up to interpretation, causing some to wonder who gets to define those terms.

“I think the spirit is left up to each individual adult in the community,” Woods said, in regards to the ambiguity.

If an adult were to take issue with a student’s dress, then the faculty member would file a complaint with Woods, and he would approach the student.

“As a faculty member I’m supposed to enforce it, but I have no idea how to, given how vague it is,” Woods said.

However, this is somewhat a moot point, as Woods has never received a dress code complaint in all his time at CGS.

“I have had conversations with some faculty who are uncomfortable with the way some of the students dress, but, to my understanding, they have not enacted that discomfort by dress coding anyone,” he said.

Although some might wonder if this discomfort would affect teachers’ relationships with students, Woods clarified.

“The way it was brought to me was more about the values of the school and where those values come from,” he said. “I’ve never felt like ‘this person’s uncomfortable with this student.’”

Woods trusts students to make good decisions.

“From my perspective, students do a great job,” he said.