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NC schools debate gender-neutral dress code

The changes in Wake County are being considered after many students, mostly girls, complained the current dress code is outdated and targets female students.

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — Wake County Public School System is looking at changes to make its dress code more gender-neutral.

According to NBC affiliate WRAL, the Wake County school board looked at a first draft of the dress code on Tuesday. The changes are being considered after many students, mostly girls, complained the current dress code is outdated and targets female students.

"If we think about the workplace standard, I actually think we're going to get more effective results than if I just gave you a list of, you know, your shoulder straps can only be this wide," said board chairman Jim Martin.

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) spokesperson told NBC Charlotte that the district began including gender-neutral language in its Parent-Student Handbook in August 2017.

The handbook states, “The local school dress code or uniform policy shall be as follows: clearly defined, not gender specific, and support school and district objectives.”

A CMS spokesperson confirmed that each local school is allowed to adopt its own dress code.

This week, there was a rumor on social media showing what appeared to be a letter from CMS Superintendent Clayton Wilcox. The letter said CMS was implementing a county-wide school uniform policy.

According to the CMS Twitter account, the letter is fake and the information is not true, although 46 schools in the district do require uniforms.

WRAL contributed to this report.

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