Although getting tattooed has become more common in recent years, public perception of those with tattoos is still mixed. Some people insist that the display of any tattoo is unacceptable in a professional environment, while others are only opposed to tattoos that blatantly violate community standards. This divide is reflected in the tattoo policies of school boards throughout the country.
Most elementary school teachers can have tattoos, especially if they are not visible. Many elementary school administrators will not hire people with visible, offensive tattoos, or they may request that the teacher cover the tattoos during school hours. Still, some policies are more lenient than others.
This article will discuss whether elementary school teachers can have tattoos or not. We’ll look at some standard tattoo policies and some outliers for teaching with tattoos. I’ll also tell you more about how many teachers have tattoos and whether schools can dismiss teachers for their ink.
Policies Regarding Elementary School Teacher Tattoos in Public Schools
Having tattoos is not a legally protected right for elementary school teachers.
Despite a United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit majority decision declaring the display of tattoos a pure, expressive activity protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, policies regarding the employment of teachers with tattoos are determined by public school boards and private school administrators.
The American Association of School Administrators reports the Goose Creek Consolidated School District in Baytown, Texas, has a one-sentence tattoo policy for all teachers. “Tattoos must be covered.” Short and to the point.
In contrast, the Denver Public School’s teacher dress code regarding tattoos is complex enough to induce eyestrain. To summarize, it indicates that teachers may not have inappropriate tattoos. For example, any tattoo “disruptive” to the learning environment is not allowed. These tattoos include those related to drugs or alcohol and anything vulgar in nature.
The Lakewood, New Jersey School District Dress Code for Teachers allows visible tattoos with restrictions. Tattoos can be visible unless they are gang-related, violent, or display racist or sexual imagery.
The Brunswick County, North Carolina Policy Manual for Employees has a specific section for School Level and Central Services Personnel. It wastes a few words when it comes to tattoos. Under a section titled Inappropriate Dress or Appearance, the fifth item tells us, “body art that contains profanity, nudity, depicts violence or is sexual in nature” is inappropriate. Other tattoos are presumed to be okay.
I’ve been unable to find examples of public school districts that completely ban elementary school teachers from having tattoos. Historically, this was not always the case. The Deseret News reported that Utah’s Iron County School District banned all teachers from having tattoos in 2001.
A quick call to the school district confirmed that this policy was changed several years ago and now closely resembles the Lakewood New Jersey School District policy.
Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised to discover most public school policies regarding teacher tattoos are pretty reasonable. Private school policies vary widely and may often be more restrictive, but they are trending toward leniency as attitudes toward body art become more positive.
How Many Elementary School Teachers Have Tattoos?
While it is difficult to determine who will eventually decide to pursue a career in elementary school education, we have a good idea of how many people of each generation have one or more tattoos.
A 2021 survey by the Statista Research Service revealed that 32% of the people who fell within Gen X’s age range (born between 1965 and 1980) had one or more tattoos.
Of those identified as Millenials (born between 1981 and 1996), Statista found that 41% had at least one tattoo. Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) presently comes in with a 23% tattoo rate but has significant room to grow as many are still children.
In the United States, these three generations contain about 195 million people. Combining 2020 U.S. Census Bureau numbers with 2020 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers, I’ve determined that about 0.7% of the working population of the United States is made up of kindergarten and elementary school teachers.
Based on these rough numbers, we’re looking at a potential pool of 1,365,000 teachers in total in the USA, of which approximately 462,000 presently have at least one tattoo.
33% of elementary school teachers have tattoos, based on the number of teachers in the USA and the number of people from each generation who self-reported having tattoos. So, around ⅓ of all elementary school teachers have tattoos, even if they keep them covered during work.
That is a significant number as we are already experiencing a teacher shortage projected to worsen in the coming years.
Can Elementary Schools Dismiss Teachers For Having Tattoos?
Elementary schools can dismiss teachers for having tattoos that are offensive or distracting. Likewise, schools may fire teachers if they get an offensive tattoo or violate their school’s policies on tattoos.
When you interview to be an elementary school teacher, it is always best to cover your tattoos, even if they are not offensive. However, keeping up with appearances can be difficult once you get hired.
Schools may fire teachers if they break the tattoo-related policies in their teacher handbooks. Although some schools may be more lenient than others, it’s always best to keep potentially offensive or distracting tattoos covered up with your clothes or makeup.
In addition, to prevent any issues, it’s always best to take a close look at your school’s policies before you roll up your sleeve or get some fresh ink.
Final Thoughts
Although some studies show negative perceptions about those who wear body art (or piercings, for that matter) the trend favors the acceptance of inoffensive tattoos for most adults, including elementary school teachers.
After all, how can we consider going back to when elementary school teacher tattoos were banned when we have shining examples like the one below. Here, an elementary school principal’s decision to get a tattoo if his students improved their state scores led to a school-wide effort to meet that goal.
To view this heart-warming video, just click on the link below:
Sources
- Wikipedia: Anderson v. City of Hermosa Beach
- Education Corner: Can Teachers Have Tattoos?
- eJournal of Education Policy: At the Intersection of Personal Expression and Professionalism in Education: Perceptions of Body Art in K-12 Schools
- American Association of School Administrators: Selected Districts’ Teacher Dress Policies
- Lakewood NJ School District: Staff Dress Code Policy
- Brunswick County, NC Schools: Policy Code: 7340 Employee Dress and Appearance
- National Library of Medicine: Tattoo or taboo? Tattoo stigma and negative attitudes toward tattooed individuals
- Statista Research Group: Share of Americans with one or more tattoos as of 2021 by number of tattoos
- Statista Research Group: Share of Americans with one or more tattoos as of 2021, by generation
- The Kasasa Exchange: Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, and Gen A Explained
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
- U.S. Census Bureau: Working-Age Population Not Keeping Pace With Growth in Older Americans
- Frontline Education: The Teacher Shortage, 2021 Edition
