by Nicole Bradford
Pearland ISD has updated the dress code and seeks input regarding cellphone use.
PISD students return to classes on Monday, and Alvin ISD students return on Tuesday, with Monday designated as a transition day for students entering new campuses.
A noteworthy change in the Pearland ISD dress code is the addition of leggings. The 2024-25 student handbook states, “Stretch slacks and leggings are allowed and should be appropriately sized and shall not be see-through or expose any skin.”
A student ambassador group of about 70 teens regularly provides feedback to Pearland ISD leadership. When it came to the dress code, students said the inclusion of both leggings and cargo pants came down to comfort.
“School should be a setting where we can learn comfortably,” one member of the ambassador program told the school board in June. In addition, she said, buildings on campuses are often kept cold, and “distracting” should not be a reason for students — particularly girls — to be uncomfortable. The updated dress code can be read in full at pearlandisd.org/dresscode.
The district has launched an anonymous online survey seeking feedback regarding cell phones at school. The five-question survey asks if and when devices should be allowed on campuses and what concerns parents have regarding student phone use. The survey is available on the district’s website, pearlandisd.org.
Students in Alvin ISD may bring phones to class, but they must be powered off. Smartwatches, earbuds, headphones, and mobile game consoles are not allowed on AISD campuses.
Currently, according to administrators, Pearland ISD does allow phone use — provided it is not disruptive.
“If we don’t see it during instruction, we don’t take it,” Superintendent Larry Berger said during a summer discussion on devices.
