There are more than five hundred schools in the Toronto District School Board, and as a result of Policy P042, each one is free to develop its own unique dress code.

Some schools’ codes are posted online; most are not. Some of the codes we’ve collected below are current; some might be out of date.

Some codes follow Policy P042’s instruction to “include a statement of principles” upon which they are based; some ignore this instruction. Some are vague; some are uncomfortably specific. Some are concise; some are verbose; some are epic. Some use exclamation marks; most do not. Some spell it “dorag”; some spell it “do rag”; some spell it “doo-rag.”

Doo — sorry! — do the differences between these codes reflect differences among school community standards, as suggested by Policy P042? Or do they illustrate the kinds of divisions between schools identified in the draft report of the Board’s Equity Task Force? We argue the latter.

If you can help us continue to fill in this illustration by contributing a copy of your school’s code, please get in touch!

A.Y. Jackson Secondary School
“Students shall wear modest clothing…”

Birchmount Collegiate Institute
“Clothing that you would wear to a BBQ, beach, club, or party, is not appropriate…”

Bloor Collegiate Institute
“No Briefs! No Bellies! No Behinds! No Breasts! No Bandanas!”

Burnamthorpe Collegiate Institute
“The administration reserves the right to question the nature of any particular clothing or accessory or headgear…”

Earl Haig Secondary School
“Overly revealing and overly provocative clothing (i.e. displaying undergarments, transparent, back-less, skimpy, bikini tops, or kinds of clothing usually worn at beaches or for recreational activities) are not appropriate apparel for the regular school session.”

Jarvis Collegiate Institute
“Shirts must be long enough to be tucked in, pants should cover under clothing and shorts must be a suitable length for a school environment…”

Thistletown Collegiate Institute
“Beach wear or night club clothing is not acceptable; e.g. tank tops, see through, low-cut clothing.  Pants need to be worn at the waist. No chains, studded or spiked items may be worn. Underwear must not be exposed…”

William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute
“Students should wear clothes to school that make them feel comfortable and confident.”

In 2015, journalist Elena Gritzan created the map below as part of a story on dress codes for Now Magazine. (Gritzan discusses her methods here.)