The Jeff Davis Parish School Board is currently considering possible revisions to its dress code for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.

During its meeting last week, board members held a preliminary discussion regarding the pros and cons of amending the dress code policy to permit visible labels and logos on shirts.

Board Member Paula Lejeune said she had been approached by school administrators with a request to remove the phrase “no exposed labels or logos” from the school district’s policy manual concerning dress codes for shirts. The dress code policy currently bans exposed labels and logos on shorts and pants.

“They just feel like it’s kind of an outdated policy because with second hand stores, sometimes those shirts are better quality for a cheaper price,” Lejeune said, noting that students are finding ways to work around the current rule.

Lejeune believes the original intent of the policy was to promote equality among students, but she also pointed out that tennis shoes have now become a more prevalent status symbol in schools, with some students spending hundreds of dollars on athletic shoes. The administrators feel that if students choose to wear polo shirts in the correct colors, they should be allowed to do so, regardless of whether they have logos, she said.

Board member Greg Bordelon said the policy was initially implemented several years ago to address bullying issues related to clothing and shoe brands.

“That’s why we did that,” he said.

Board member David Does expressed his opposition to any changes to avoid any problems students faced in the past.

“I think every kid should be dressed the same and on an equal playing field,” Doise said. “We had a lot of issues back then and I really don’t care to go through that again…..I’d just rather keep everybody on the same playing field.”

Board member Summer Lejeune commented that differences in shirt quality are still noticeable, regardless of logos.

She shared her own experience of having to wear uniforms to school. She said students were sometimes targeted for having less expensive uniforms. In her view, there will always be reasons for students to single each other out.

Following a brief discussion, the board members decided to refer the matter to the board’s policy committee. The committee will be responsible for voting on whether to maintain the current policy or to remove the “no exposed labels or logos” clause from the policy manuals.