Dress Code for Teachers on Agenda for Trustees

The wearing of jeans, shorts and T-shirts by teachers and other staffers would be prohibited under a dress code to be discussed today by Santa Ana Unified School District trustees.

The proposal is being criticized by some who say that such regulations are misdirected and unnecessary.

“I don’t think a teacher should dress like a slob,” said Eileen Mahmoud, who teachers first and second grade at Jackson Elementary School. “But I don’t see anything wrong with a pair of designer jeans and a shirt neatly tucked in.”

Aida Espinoza, a trustee who spearheaded the dress code drive, has said she did so after observing a few teachers who she said dressed too casually to command respect from students and others.

Not all the school board members have supported a more strict dress code. Some point out that the district already has a policy requiring teachers to maintain professional standards.

Besides prohibitions, the proposal lists appropriate clothing for men: suits, dress pants, ties, sweaters and jackets; and for women: pantsuits, blouses, sweaters and jackets.

Critics of the new code, which is opposed by the district’s employee unions, say that teachers of younger students should be allowed more casual dress because they often sit on classroom floors and use materials such as paint and glue.

The school board will meet at 7 p.m. at McFadden Intermediate School, 2701 S. Raitt St.

Information: (714) 558-5500.