'It's fairly wide open,' some northern Ontario school boards loosening their dress codes

Just a few more days until school is out for the summer and by the time classes resume in September, there could be some big changes to what northern Ontario students are allowed to wear.

The Algoma District School Board is considering overhauling its dress code, including allowing hats and other head coverings, as well as shirts without sleeves.

The board, which runs English public schools in Sault Ste. Marie and the rest of the Algoma district, is expected to finalize the new policy in August. 

The Near North District School Board has already changed its dress code for the first time since 2001.

"It does meet the needs of everyone which is to express themselves," said Gay Smylie, the superintendent of education for the North Bay-based English public board.

"It's fairly wide open, but basically clothing has to be worn in a way that doesn't expose private areas of a student's body."

Smylie says the dress code was changed to better keep up with social standards, but also to adhere to human rights principles, including clearer language on the wearing of religious garb such as turbans and hijabs.

The board also acknowledges that previous dress codes "detrimentally impacted" certain students, including females, Indigenous and LGBTQ.

Smylie says the decades-old "fingertip rule" for determining how short a skirt can be has also been done away with, along with outright bans of tank tops and belly shirts.

"It will be challenging to some staff who have had things one way for a certain length of time and now it's shifted into this inclusive and equitable way of thinking," Smylie said.