Lower School students at The Walker School are expected to follow the Lower School dress and grooming guidelines as outlined below. Attire for field trips, and some special events and presentations at the School is the field trip uniform. The dress code is driven by the principles of understanding, respect and pride in our community. As a school, we believe the importance and value of individual expression can be learned while also recognizing the importance of community standards. The basic guidelines driving the dress code are that students’ dress and appearance at school will be clean, neat, appropriate, and not a distraction.

• Clothing must be neat, clean, fit properly (oversized or undersized are not appropriate), free from holes/frays, and in good repair.
• For safety reasons, shoes with a back, or back strap, must be worn at all times. Crocs, high heels and flip-flops are not acceptable. Socks and rubber-soled shoes are required for P. E.
• Shirts with small manufacturer’s logos are acceptable; however, shirts with large writing or large logos that occupy a majority of the shirt/shorts/pants are unacceptable school attire.
• Cotton or synthetic athletic t-shirts (Nike, Under Armour, etc.) are unacceptable school attire unless they are designated “Walker Wear” shirts. Walker Wear shirts are acceptable every day of the week.
• Sweatpants, athletic shorts and athletic shirts are unacceptable school attire.
•  Makeup is inappropriate for Lower School students. Jewelry should be in moderation.
•  Hats, caps, kerchiefs, other head coverings (with the exception of religious head coverings), and sunglasses are not to be worn indoors.
• All shirts may remain untucked throughout the day. However, the length of the untucked shirt must be reasonable in the opinion of the faculty, being neither too long nor too short.
• Hair should be neat, clean, and not impair vision. Hairstyles must be within traditional parameters: that is, styles such as spiked hair, hair colored other than natural color (multi-colored or unusual colors), patterns shaved into the hair, shaved heads, and rat tails are unacceptable. Hairstyles identified as unacceptable by an administrator on a case-by-case basis are prohibited.

Girls:

• A variety of girl-style shirts including but not limited to folded collared blouses, cardigans and sweaters may be worn. Collars are not required. Shirts must be modestly cut and long enough to completely cover the torso at all times and in all body positions (no athletic t-shirts, deep V-necks, low scoop-necks, low-buttoned tops). Any graphic on a shirt needs to be the size of a child’s palm or smaller.
• Shirts with large writing (“cutie pie,” “girls rule,” “love,” etc.), large images or large logos (sports equipment/teams, company logos, etc.), or licensed characters are not allowed. “Spaghetti-strap” tops are not permitted unless they are serving as an undershirt.
• Pants, jeans, tailored shorts, skirts, skorts and dresses may be worn. The bottom hemline of any garment worn must fall no shorter than 3 inches above the knee when standing. Tights or leggings are not considered pants and should not be worn with shirts but may be worn with long tunics or dresses.

Boys:

• All shirts must have collars if they are not Walker Wear; either folding collars or turtlenecks are acceptable. Sweaters are also permissible. All shirts must be short or long sleeved, no tank tops.
• Dress pants, jeans or tailored shorts may be worn to school. Overalls, sweatpants, athletic pants or athletic shorts are not permitted. The waistline of all pants must be worn at the natural waistline. If pants are too loose, then a belt must be worn to prevent “sagging.”
• Tailored shorts may be worn provided that they are no shorter than two inches above the knee and no longer than the bottom of the knee.

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