Peddie has updated its standards of dress to include sweatpants as permissible classroom attire for students. The news came as part of a larger email from Dean Brown on Sunday welcoming the community back to campus for the winter term.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I got in this chair,” said Dean Brown of the policy change. Mrs. Brown officially took over as Assistant Head for Student Life in February 2025, having served in an interim capacity since the summer prior.
Mrs. Brown mentioned that various research suggests that dress codes can be discriminatory in a variety of ways, such as sexist, racist and classist, and explained that she views looser rules on attire as aligning more with the school’s values. “I’ve always wondered what it would look like at Peddie if our standards of dress reflected our general philosophy, and our approach towards learning, […] and not judging people based on what they have on,” she said.
The policy revision comes at a time when the school has been adjusting to a new head of school; Mr. Hamilton started working as Peddie’s 17th Head of School this past summer and was officially installed in the fall. With Dean Brown, he began to explore expanding the standards of dress for students.
When asked to comment on his involvement in the policy update, Mr. Hamilton responded, “I appreciate that our standards of dress are essential guidelines, and also that it is vital for us to be nimble with our policies when necessary. I appreciate the thought that went into this change for several reasons, including current campus trends at institutions like ours. I hope the update is well-received and that we continue to strive to adhere to all of the guidelines in our standards of dress.”
In addition to working with Mr. Hamilton on this change, Dean Brown prioritized conversations with class deans, the Director of Residential Life, and other faculty and administrative members. A survey was sent out a couple of years ago to gauge faculty attitudes towards more lax standards of dress. Most seemed to be on board. When asked, several teachers reported frequent instances of dress code violations, which made a revision to standards of dress all the more likely. However, as Mr. Hamilton expressed, students are still expected to respect and follow rules outlined in Peddie’s updated standards of dress.
Reactions and adjustments to the change will be monitored throughout the next few months. At the end of the day, Peddie is still an educational institution and must prioritize student growth and learning. “I hope that [I’m correct in] my feeling that what a child is wearing does not interfere with their seriousness or approach to learning,” said Dean Brown, “because I firmly believe people learn better if they’re comfortable.”
