No. In both Maryland and D.C., dress code and uniform policies cannot prevent students from wearing nondisruptive religious clothing and accessories such as yarmulkes, kufis, headscarves, crosses and other religious pendants or from wearing a religious button, armband or other item that is protected under the students’ First Amendment rights. [1]  One court elsewhere has held that students may not be forced to attend co-ed gym class where they are wearing gym clothes that they regard, on religious grounds, as immodest. [2]

[1] Prince George’s County Public Schools, Administrative Procedure  0600, School Uniforms § IV(B)(6);District of Columbia: no rule specifically addresses religious clothing or accessories, but the Student Bill of Rights generally provides that “a student has the right to refuse to participate in school activities which are contrary to the student's moral, religious, or political beliefs.” 5 DCMR § 2401.11. Each school’s dress code must be developed to include “respect for the rights of others.” 5 DCMR § 2408.2(c)(4).  And Maryland and DC nondiscrimination laws prohibits discrimination in education based on religion, which could include limits on religious clothing and accessories tat are greater than limits on any other kind of clothing.

[2] Moody v. Cronin, 484 F. Supp.  270 (C.D.  Ill. 1979)(finding an unconstitutional burden on free exercise of religion where state required students to attend co-ed gym class in skimpy clothing viewed by their religion as immodest, and gym class could be conducted in other ways).   No specific provisions of school rules in our area address the subject, but in DC, 5 DCMR § 2401.11 gives the student the right “to refuse to participate in school activities which are contrary to the student's moral, religious, or political beliefs.”