Marlborough’s administration has instated a new penalty for breaking the dress code.

The old policy consisted of three strikes that involved official notes and warnings. However, the Marlborough deans decided the old system wasn’t a sufficient penalty, as it didn’t stop consistent breaches in the dress code.

The current student handbook requires students to change their out-of-dress-code clothing and receive an official warning note. On their second infraction, a student is required to participate in the Uniform Organization, a group of  students who spend an hour sorting the items in the Lost and Found unit in the garage. In previous years, the Lost and Found Committee sorted the Lost and Found once a week. But with the addition of Uniform Organization, their responsibilities are now limited to three times a month.

The Lost and Found Committee has existed for around 20 years and is a group of Marlborough parents dedicated to helping the community. Members of the committee describe the exorbitant amount of items that are placed in the “cage” every Wednesday. A parent on the committee estimated there are about 5-10 trash bags full of lost items that are put in the Lost and Found every week. Parents on the committee encourage students to be more responsible with their belongings and more mindful of their community.

“If someone was responsible for organizing the Lost and Found closet once, they would never abandon another water bottle,” Lost and Found Committee member Emily Fox said.

Zoe ’27, who took part in the Uniform Organization earlier this year, said she spent about five minutes sorting belongings, rather than the full hour, because the Lost and Found Committee had already cleaned it earlier that week. She was also required to fill out a reflection where she wrote about what she learned from the experience, and if she would reform her behavior to avoid the punishment in the future.

“I did learn from my mistake because I am not trying to get dress-coded again,” Zoe said.

Although the Uniform Organization is a big change to the Marlborough Uniform Policy, many students, teachers and parents agree that the new penalty is beneficial for the community. The Uniform Organization encourages students to be more mindful about what they are wearing and take responsibility for their items.

“It is good for the students to see how much work goes into organizing all the misplaced items,” Fox said.