SAVANNAH, Ga. – School board members for Savannah-Chatham public schools opted to shelve a proposed staff dress code policy after backlash from teachers.

District administrators proposed new restrictions for to the staff dress code last week that would ban educators and other school employees from chewing gum, using music players, and wearing excessive cologne, flip-flops, jeans or other unprofessional attire, the Savannah Morning News reports.

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“We have received several complaints about the appearance of some of our staff and it has been the subject of many conversations,” deputy superintendent Ann Levett told the news site. “Although this is a vacation destination we are not tourists and we should not … dress like we are.”

The proposed dress code includes business suits or sports jackets and a dress shirt and tie for men, and appropriate length business dresses, skirts or pantsuits for women.

“Mid-calf length slacks, capri pants and exposed cleavage are not acceptable. Skrits and dresses should be no more than 2 inches above the knee. T-shirts and tank tops are not appropriate as outerwear. Heels must not exceed three inches and clogs, slides, flip-flops and shoes without a strap across the heel are unacceptable,” the Morning News reports.

Beyond that, school officials want employees to have clean fingernails without distracting polish, and natural looking hair color.

“We want to reinforce that this is a professional environment and we also want to make sure people are dressing appropriately to avoid preventable injuries,” Levett said, adding that some employees have injured themselves in inappropriate shoes.

The Associated Press reports that the school board was set to discuss the potential changes at its meeting last week, and vote on it in August, but backlash from employees prompted them to change course.

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School Board President Jolene Byrne said at a meeting last Wednesday that the district was bombarded with email complaints and, “for now we’re just going to give this one a pass.”

Two parents also complained at the school board meeting about the proposed dress code, alleging some items on the list of unprofessional attire is not distracting. One of those parents was decked out in tattoos and a nose rink, the Morning News reports.

“Byrne said there were too many concerns about the proposed changes and asked that they gather teacher input before bringing the issue back before the board,” according to the news site.

Savannah Federation of Teachers President Theresa Watson argued that some teachers can’t properly do their jobs in pant suits and dress shoes. Special education teachers and others in physically active roles need more flexibility, she said.

“They’re on their feet all day. They don’t want teachers just sitting at a desk anymore,” she said. “They do a lot of standing and walking and they should be able to wear comfortable tennis shoes if they need that extra cushion and support.”

For now, board members opted to leave staff dress codes up to individual school leaders, but Watson didn’t like that either, pointing out that some have much higher expectations than others.

“You can go into schools right now and see them dress to the nines at Beach High School but over at Isle of Hope they look like they’re on the way to a picnic,” Watson said.

The situation in Savannah certainly isn’t the first time district officials have felt compelled to force educators to dress professionally.

Officials in the Little Rock, Arkansas school district also received blowback when they introduced a formal dress code in 2013 that banned things like t-shirts with inappropriate slogans, mini-skirts, flip-flops and “foundation garments,” EAGnews reported.

The requirement for “foundation garments,” otherwise known as bras and underwear, was apparently too much for some teachers who complained about the policy. Little Rock officials eventually relented and delayed the underwear requirement for a year “to give time to adjust,” according the Arkansas Times.