Can I show skin in class? Use a new pronoun? Talk on the phone? What school rules say
We know about school rules.
No running in the halls. No talking in class. No this and no that.
But what about taking a moment to pray? Or wearing that midriff-baring new outfit?
Those are rules that a teacher might not talk about the first week of school.
While there aren’t COVID rules to follow like in previous years (though quarantine protocols still exist), there are policies for students.
So what do those policies say about fashion, faith, social media?
Here’s a guide to Miami-Dade school rules you might not know about — or forgot during the summer:
Can I bring my cellphone to school? Can I use it during lunch and between class periods? What about a tablet?
Yes, you can take a cellphone with you to school. Its ringer needs to be off or in silent mode. You cannot text, browse the internet, call someone or check and/or post on social media during the school day. This includes during class, lunch and while changing classes, according to the Miami-Dade school district’s student code of conduct.
Similarly, you can also take a laptop or tablet, like an iPad, to school. However, students can only use laptops and tablets in class if the teacher allows it. The reason for using the device has to be educational, such as for taking notes, accessing an online textbook or working on a school assignment.
Shopping on Amazon, messaging your friends and watching Netflix, Disney Plus and Youtube, are a no-no.
READ MORE: How do you find your school? Is there free lunch? When is testing? What about days off?
Can I listen to music at school?
No. The only music you’ll hear during the school day will come from band or orchestra class, a pep rally or another school event.
You can still groove to your tunes on the school bus while heading to and from school. Just make sure to use headphones or earbuds.
Do high schools let students go out for lunch?
You and your friends won’t be able to pack into your car and hit different lunch spots throughout the week.
But don’t worry if you forgot to bring lunch from home. Miami-Dade’s public school district is providing free breakfast and lunch to all students.
READ MORE: What’s on the menu as school starts? Dill chicken chunks, fish nuggets and a favorite
Can I use the pronouns I identify with?
Miami-Dade’s public school district generally has guidelines in place to help make the school environment more inclusive for students who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s unclear how much the recently passed “Parental Rights in Education” bill, which detractors call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill may affect those support guidelines for the 2022-2023 school year.
Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. on Aug. 17 signed off on state education board member Ryan Petty’s request to review the LGBTQ support guides of all the school districts in Florida to check if they comply with the new law.
READ MORE: Are Florida schools’ own documents breaking a law? LGBTQ support guides in question
Here’s some of what the Miami-Dade school district’s 2021-2022 support guide said:
Your teachers must respect your gender identity and address you by your chosen name and pronouns, whether it was legally changed or not.
The school, upon request, should also include your chosen name and gender in the district’s information management systems. This will inform all staff, including substitute teachers, of which name and pronoun to use when addressing you.
You also have the right to choose the restroom and locker room that reflects the gender with which you identify.
“Alternative and non-stigmatizing options, such as an all-gender or single user restroom (e.g., staff bathroom), should be made available to students who request them, but not presented as the only option,” the guidelines say. “Reviewed on a case-by-case basis, any student who has a need for increased privacy, should be given access to a single-user restroom.”
The guidelines noted that the school district had provided guidance to all schools on “identifying single stall restrooms in their buildings that will be designated as the gender-neutral bathroom.” It also noted that locker room usage should be determined on a case-by-case basis and offers alternatives such as a schedule change, using a nearby restroom stall with a door, a PE teacher’s office or an area separated by a curtain.
Can I pray in school?
Whether you want to say grace before eating or fulfill your daily prayers, you are allowed to pray during the school day — as long as it isn’t during a lesson.
You can read scripture, discuss your religious views with friends, and pray before exams in cafeterias and hallways or outside of instruction time.
What’s the dress code if there is no uniform? What can’t I wear?
All students in K-8 schools have mandatory uniforms. For students in grades 9-12, the uniform policy varies by high school.
For high schools that don’t require uniforms, students must abide by the district’s dress code, which says students must “come to school clean and appropriately groomed and dressed.”
Students cannot wear clothing that exposes underwear or body parts in an “indecent or vulgar manner, or disrupts the orderly learning environment,” the district said.
At Miami Palmetto Senior High School, for example, see-through tops, bare backs and midriffs are not allowed. Neither are tops that expose the shoulders, such as spaghetti straps, tube tops and tank tops.
Also unacceptable: pajama pants, shorts or skirts shorter than finger-tip length, jeans or pants with holes, rips or tears above mid-thigh and swimwear. Hats, caps, headgear, hoods (except those worn for religious purposes). Exposed underwear, bedroom slippers, and metal cleats on shoes and clothing are also a no-no.
Written messages, pictures or symbols that “portray ideas that are offensive to the general ideas of the Dade County School System (i.e. drugs, alcohol, weapons)“ are also not allowed.
Under the district’s policy, if a student’s attire or “grooming” distracts the attention of other students and teachers from their school work, they will be required to “make necessary alterations before entering the classroom or be sent home by the Principal,” the policy states. While students can get disciplined for breaking dress code, they cannot be suspended, expelled or given a lower grade.
Can I friend my teachers on Facebook? What about Instagram and TikTok?
There’s nothing stopping you from sending a Facebook, Instagram or TikTok request to your favorite teachers. Just don’t expect them to accept you. The district discourages teachers from accepting students on social media.
Some teachers might only accept requests from former students who have graduated high school and are at least 18. Other teachers might not have social media, or might not accept current or former student requests at all.
Also, think before sending that request: Do you really want your teacher to see the silly TikTok you and your bestie made?
Can I go with my family on vacation around Labor Day and miss school?
There is no school on Labor Day (Sept. 5), which means it’s the perfect time for a weekend getaway. However, if you’re thinking of skipping school to have a longer vacation, keep in mind those absences will be unexcused.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 4:30 AM.
