Dress Code

Clothing and Personal Appearance

It’s essential for Alliance Friends Christian Academy to have a warm but business‐like atmosphere. Yes, while God looks inward and desires our character to grow, we still have this issue of outward distractions to handle in the way we dress, such as visible tattoos and body piercings. Modesty is our Biblical guide.

Dress Code Requirements

All dress code requirements apply to any AFCA related activity. We’d like to keep our school focus on what’s allowable, but we must mention these non‐negotiables:

  • Clothing should be loose, not form fitting, and not see‐through.
  • All shirts and tops should have sleeves. Lace or see‐through sleeves only may be worn as long as no under‐garment straps are being seen.
  • T‐shirts with graphics/words may be worn as long as they are appropriate and meet the length requirement, as stated in the current dress code. Exceptions include bands/groups of any (including Christian) kind, which are not allowed.
  • Zip front and pullover hoodies following the same guidelines as t‐shirts for words and graphics may be worn. Hoods are to be down when inside the church.
  • Girls’ tops should be long enough to reach to the bottom of back pockets, or to cover the entire buttocks. Necklines should pass the “3‐fingers below the notch” rule, with no cleavage revealed,and straps should not show. If fabric is see‐through, a t‐top may be worn underneath. No crop tops are allowed.
  • Undergarment straps should not be visible.
  • Bellies and backs should always be covered, including when arms are raised overhead.
  • All pants should be worn at the waist.
  • Pants should not be tight fitting (not form‐fitting), nor so loose they fall down.
  • Sweats, running pants, jogging pants and pajamas should not be worn.
  • For girls, leggings or stretch pants and tunic top combinations should not be worn.
  • Shorts or leggings must be worn under all skirts and dresses. Ankle‐length skirts do not require leggings, if their slits stop below the knees. A slip may be worn underneath.
  • Girls may wear flowing dress pants with no zipper Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday.
  • The length of a dress or skirt may come to above the knee whether standing or sitting. This includes any slits in the garment. The length of a dress or skirt will be measured at the top of the knee in front, and at the crease of the knee in back. The width of a dollar bill (2.5”) is the unit of measure.
  • Hair should be clean, neat and out of the eyes. Unnatural hair color is not permitted.
  • Distractive jewelry, hair coloring, make‐up and accessories should not be worn.
  • Only girls may wear earrings.
  • There are to be no facial or body piercings. Gages must be removed before school.
  • Nails, natural or artificial, are to be kept at an active/sport length.
  • Hats should not to be worn inside the church.
  • Tattoos must be covered.
  • Sandals with a secure backstrap may be worn; no high heels.

All dress code guidelines are subject to the discretion of the school’s staff. Worship leaders, program participants, performer, speaker, etc. must comply with dress code or will not be permitted to lead in said activity.

We have one “dress up” day per week with more casual but modest guidelines for the other four days.

Casual Days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday)

Boys may wear shirts and their choice of dark or khaki‐colored khaki pants, jeans without holes, or knee‐length shorts. Girls may wear slacks, capris, jeans without holes, or skirts and dresses (shorts or leggings need to be worn under all skirts and dresses.) All attire must comply with the DRESS CODE REQUIREMENTS.

Chapel Day(Wednesday)

Wednesday is our Chapel Day of the week, and we encourage students to dress up.

Boys

Boys are to wear button shirts with a tie or bowtie. Shirts should be tucked in, and belts are to be worn with pants that have belt loops. Belts are not mandatory, except on Chapel Day with a tucked‐in shirt. Boys may wear their dress shirts untucked if they are wearing a vest or sweater over the shirt. Their shirts must be left on after Chapel, but they may be untucked for the afternoon. Ties are to be worn all morning and may be removed at lunch time.

Girls

Girls should wear skirts with a blouse or sweater, or a dress that complies with the DRESS CODE REQUIREMENTS. No t‐shirts with words are allowed.

Gym Attire (Thursday)

For gym, students may bring modest sweat pants or knee‐length athletic shorts and a modest T‐shirt or sweatshirt which meets DRESS CODE REQUIREMENTS, into which they change. After gym, they may wear their athletic clothes until the school day is over. Tennis shoes are always to be worn for gym. The students may choose to wear their gym clothes the entire day on the designated gym day and may include loose‐fitting “gym/basketball” shorts with an appropriate t‐shirt. This applies to the younger students as well, only on gym day.

Penalty of Violation of Dress Code

  • The student will be given an option of calling their parent to bring a change of clothing or wear an article of clothing provided by the school. These will include over sized shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants. The student will need to wear the provided article until the replacement arrives.
  • A picture will be kept on file of item(s) in violation of Dress Code and if the same is worn again, detention after school will be issued.
  • Three dress code violations will result in a 30‐minute after‐school detention.
  • Following one detention for dress code violations, any dress code violation results in another after‐school detention.
  • Dress code committee members will receive a detention for any violation of dress code. Repeated violations will result in dismissal from committee.