Uniform Guidelines

GENERAL UNIFORM GUIDELINES

• Students must dress in accordance with their biological sex.
• Uniforms, sized appropriately for the wearer, must appear clean and be free of tears and holes upon arrival at school.
• Students must be in compliance with the dress code unless they are changing for an athletic practice or game.
• In order to maintain consistency of color and style, all uniform items except socks, tights, belts, and shoes must be purchased from TGS uniform suppliers or the TGS used-uniform store. The school’s uniform suppliers are Lands’ End and Tommy Hilfiger. Refer to the Uniform Suppliers page on the school’s website for information on how to order. Certain outer garments may be purchased from the school store.
• Unless stated otherwise by the division directors, students are required to be in the proper uniform for that day (i.e., regular or chapel uniform). On occasions such as spirit days or for events such as field trips, modified uniform guidelines will be communicated.
• Uniform items should be labeled with the student’s name. Items left unclaimed at the end of each day will be placed in lost and found. Items remaining in lost and found are donated to charity or added to the school used-uniform store at the end of each quarter.
• The division directors are the final arbiters of whether a student is in compliance with the dress code.

GUIDELINES FOR NON-CLOTHING ITEMS (HAIR, ACCESSORIES, ETC)

• Students’ hair must be neat, clean, and groomed so their eyes and face are visible at all times.
• If a student’s hair is dyed, it must be a natural color.
• Students are not allowed extreme styles such as Mohawks or with designs shaved into the hair.
• Boys are not allowed ponytails or buns and the hair must be above the collar.
• Girls may wear earrings but may not have any other visible piercings.
• Girls may wear jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, etc.) as long as it is simple, appropriate to the overall dress, and not distracting or excessive.
• Boys must be clean shaven and may not have earrings or other piercings.
• Makeup (if worn and only permitted with girls) should be simple and tasteful.
• Girls may wear flat headbands, bows, and ribbons.
• Hats are not to be worn in classrooms or in buildings on campus during school hours.
• Students may wear watches as long as they do not make any noises. Smartwatches are not allowed to be worn during the school day.
• Visible tattoos are not permitted.

UNIFORM CODE VIOLATIONS

There will be times when students fail to follow the uniform guidelines. When these occur, faculty and staff are here to help get the student back on track.

Common ways in which students fail to conform to the guidelines include the following:

• Boys: keeping their oxford shirts tucked in, forgetting either a belt or tie or both, hair length, shaving
• Girls: improper hair accessories or jewelry, skirt length
• Both: improper shoes, improper sweater or fleece

If a student in K4–6th grade comes to school out of uniform, the teacher and/or director will deal with it on a case-by-case basis. Options for remediation include forgiving the infraction if it is the first time, providing the student with the correct uniform piece from the school’s used-uniform store, or contacting the parent to bring the correct uniform items to the school. In each action, a student is expected to  take ownership of his or her behavior and return the next day in compliance with the guidelines.

If a student in 7th–12th grade comes to school out of uniform, then the student will be directed to the dean of students for a “red card” (students carry it with them so that they don’t get dinged for the same offense more than once on the same day) and for their consequences. These may include ignoring the infraction if it is a first time or having the student contact the parent to have the appropriate article brought to school as soon as possible. The uniform infraction will be entered into FACTS by a school administrator. It is expected that students take ownership of their behavior and return the next day in compliance with the guidelines. Repeated uniform code violations will result in demerits and, when enough accrue, detentions.

It is important to note that a student who continually and willfully ignores or fights against the school’s uniform guidelines is indicating he does not want to attend Geneva. Such actions warrant a hard but necessary conversation between school administration and the student and his parents.

UPPER SCHOOL SPECIAL OCCASION DRESS-UP DAYS

Upper school students may dress up on their birthdays. If a student’s birthday is on a weekend, he or she may dress up on the Friday prior or the Monday after. Students with summer birthdays will be assigned a day in May. Students may also be allowed to dress up for special occasions such as a class presentation or recitation.

• Young women may wear a dress (not strapless or with spaghetti straps), blouse and dress slacks, or blouse and skirt, and dressy shoes. Optional-day dress and skirt lengths should be fingertip length or longer.
• Young men may wear a dress shirt with tie, dress pants, leather shoes, and dress socks.