Students who arrive at school in breach of grooming or uniform rules must still be allowed through the gates, with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information directing schools to address such violations internally.
Parliamentary Secretary in the ministry, Senator Marlon Morgan, reinforced the position Thursday while addressing the Region 4 Back-to-School Conference for principals at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James.
Morgan told school administrators that while students are expected to follow school rules, breaches of grooming or uniform standards should not result in students being denied access to their education.
“You would have heard our portfolio minister in recent days, as she addressed the Jamaica Teachers’ Association conference, making the point that rules are rules,” Morgan said.
“But if a child presents at school, presents for instruction, and is in some way in violation of a school rule, for example, the grooming standards or the uniform, do not have the student locked out of the school.”
He said the ministry’s direction is for the student to be admitted, with any appropriate punishment or corrective measure administered within the school.
Morgan said schools have an obligation to protect students from being exposed to potentially unsafe conditions outside the school gates.
“We have an obligation to attend to and cater to the well-being of our children, and we do not want them to come into harm’s way or be susceptible to the vagaries of the elements outside of the school gate,” he said.
He suggested that schools could place students in a designated area while the matter is being addressed.
“Whether you are going to place them in a particular space, whatever the arrangement or situation is, administer the discipline within the confines and context of the school,” Morgan said.
‘Rules Are Rules’
Morgan’s comments come after Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon told the Jamaica Teachers’ Association conference last week that students must comply with established school dress and grooming requirements.
Morris Dixon said the long-awaited national Student Dress and Grooming Policy would soon be implemented and that schools would be required to clearly outline their grooming standards and communicate them to parents.
“School is not a runway, because you go to school to learn,” she said, while stressing that where schools have established rules governing uniforms and hairstyles, students are expected to follow them.
The policy is expected to provide greater clarity on schools’ grooming expectations and the sanctions that may be applied when rules are breached.
However, the ministry’s latest position makes clear that disciplinary enforcement should not prevent students from receiving an education.
The issue has been the subject of a longstanding national debate involving hairstyles, uniforms, students’ rights and the authority of schools to establish appearance standards.
The ministry introduced national Student Dress and Grooming Policy guidelines in 2018, while a revised policy developed in 2021 sought to balance students’ interests, school-community needs and operational requirements while promoting an inclusive learning environment.
The controversy resurfaced in January 2025 after a McGrath High School student alleged that he had been prevented from accessing the school because of the length of his hair. The ministry investigated the matter, while the school maintained that the student had breached its grooming rules.
The issue returned to the spotlight in September 2025 when students at Calabar High School were reportedly kept outside over alleged breaches involving hairstyles, belt buckles, buttons and other uniform requirements.
The ministry subsequently warned schools against locking students out over dress-code violations.
The Student Dress and Grooming Policy is currently listed among the ministry’s policy documents as a draft.
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