Important Information

Dress and Grooming (All Grade Levels)

The district’s dress code teaches grooming and hygiene, prevents disruption, minimizes safety hazards, and maintains a positive learning climate. Students and parents may determine a student’s personal dress and grooming standards, provided that they comply with the following:

Students must be dressed and groomed in a manner that is clean and neat and that will not be a health or safety hazard to themselves or others. The District prohibits any clothing or grooming that may reasonably be expected to cause disruption of or interference with normal school operations. [See Policy FNCA]

Guidelines and administrative decisions regarding appropriate dress will reflect concern for health and safety of students and the influence of specific dress or grooming on the overall educational climate of the school. The guidelines will be reviewed periodically to ensure that they continue to reflect community expectations, while permitting individual choices and recognizing acceptable current fashions. Exceptions to the Grooming and Dress Code Policy based on religious or medical reasons will be made upon submission of written documentation to the principal of the school.

It is impractical to list every possibility of dress and grooming. The principal shall make decisions regarding the Grooming Code and what is acceptable and appropriate considering the age and activities of the students. Appeals of decisions made by the principal regarding the Grooming Code shall be made to the Office of Student Services. Final appeals of decisions made by the Office of Student Services shall be made to the Superintendent of Schools.

Students must wear appropriate underclothing and shoes. (House shoes or similar shoes are not permitted because of safety considerations as student’s travel stairways and hallways.)

Students’ shorts, skirts, or dresses must be mid-thigh or longer in length. Students are not permitted to wear very tight, loose, revealing or short clothing. Pants must be worn at the waist.

Examples of unacceptable clothing, according to this guideline include, but are not limited to: pajamas, cutoffs, jogging pants, wind or biker’s shorts, tank or crop-tops. No headgear, including doo-rags, scarves, wave caps, sweatbands, bandanas, etc., is permitted in the school.

Clothing with visual or written messages likely to disrupt the school environment is prohibited. Examples of such prohibited visual or written messages include, but are not limited to, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, violence, vulgar or obscene language, and insults to race, religion, gender, or ethnicity.

A student wearing any form of dress or hairstyle identifying him or her with a gang, or other unauthorized student group or representing or symbolizing the beliefs of such a group, will be required to correct his or her dress or appearance. The student's parent will be required to speak with a school administrator concerning the student's dress before the student will be permitted to return to class after correcting his/her dress on the initial offense. A parent conference will be required on the second offense.

A student’s hair must be neat, clean, and must not be distracting or interfere with the learning environment. Extreme hairstyles and hair color that may reasonably be expected to cause disruption of or interference with normal school operations are not acceptable. A male student may have neatly groomed facial hair.

If the principal determines that a student’s grooming or clothing violates the school’s dress code, the student will be given an opportunity to correct the problem at school and return to the classroom. If the problem cannot be corrected at school, the principal will work with the student and parent to obtain an acceptable change of clothing for the student in a way that minimizes loss of instructional time.

Repeated or severe offenses may result in more serious disciplinary action in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.

In Texas, state law mandates that students attend school regularly to ensure their educational success. Here are the key points regarding Texas state law on school attendance:

1. Compulsory Attendance Law: Under the Texas Education Code (TEC) §25.085, students who are at least six years old as of September 1 and have not yet reached their 19th birthday must attend school each day that instruction is provided. This requirement also applies to students enrolled in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten once they start attending.

2. Minimum Attendance for Class Credit (90% Rule): According to TEC §25.092, students must attend at least 90% of the days a class is offered to receive credit for that class. If a student attends fewer than 90% of the days, the student may be required to attend attendance recovery sessions or may lose credit for the class.

3. Truancy: A student is considered truant if they have unexcused absences on 10 or more days (or parts of days) within a six-month period. If a student is truant, the school may file a complaint with the local truancy court. Parents or guardians may also face legal consequences if they fail to ensure their child attends school regularly.

4. Excused Absences: Texas law allows for certain excused absences, including those due to illness, a death in the family, religious holidays, and court appearances. Parents must provide appropriate documentation for these absences to be excused.

To comply with state law and district policy, we will be “cell phone free” schools, starting in August 2025.  This important change will impact the day-to-day experience for all students and staff.  

Starting August 11, 2025, MISD will not allow the use of Personal Electronic Devices, such as cell phones, iPads, headphones, etc., in classrooms or during passing periods within the school day.  Texas House Bill 1481, which was passed into law this summer, specifies Personal Electronic Devices as cell phones, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, radios, pagers, or “any other electronic device capable of telecommunication or digital communication.”  However, accommodations will be made for students who require a personal electronic device for medical assistance.  

 

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Secondary Students (Grades 7–12):

• From 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., all cell phones and personal electronic devices must be turned off and stored either:
  • in students’ backpacks, or
     
  • in classroom cell phone cabinets during class time.
     
• The use of personal electronic devices will no longer be allowed in identified zones (hallways, cafeteria, and gymnasium).

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  Elementary Students (Grade 6 and below):

• All students must keep their cell phones off and stored in their backpacks for the entire school day.
• Cell phones may not be used at any time on campus, including during recess or lunch.

 

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(All changes are consistent with TX HB 1481 and District Policy FNCE, Student Handbook, SCC)

We have seen in our buildings that cell phones, headphones, earbuds, and other personal electronic devices do not often serve a helpful academic purpose. We have a responsibility to respond to the growing issues of cyberbullying and inappropriate use of video recording while also fostering healthy hallways and classrooms. 

To better ensure the safety and emotional well-being of all students, and to comply with state law and district policy, we will be “cell phone free” schools, starting in August 2025.

We wanted to share this information before the start of the 2025-26 school year so that students, families, and staff may know the efforts we are taking to ensure all students have a safe and predictable learning environment.

We also invite our Marlin ISD families to partner with us to minimize the use of personal electronic devices by having conversations about this process with your students at home. Our top priority will always be providing impactful learning opportunities for our students. In MISD, we believe part of that process includes more consistent and strict monitoring of cell phone and electronic device use. 

Thank you in advance for your continued support of Marlin ISD’s commitment to academic excellence.

 

2025 Student Handbook

 2025 Code of Conduct