School board addresses dress code

Terry Looper holds up a pair of jeans for discussion at Thursday's school board meeting. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Supervisor of Student Services Terry Looper met with the Bedford County Board of Education Thursday night to update them on the new student dress code, which went into effect for students grade six and above on Aug. 8.

"We feel like it's going good," Looper said. School board members who've visited the schools immediately jumped on board to say they think students look much better.

"I sense a whole different atmosphere," said superintendent Ed Gray, stating that students seem calmer and quieter.

Since schools opened two weeks ago, however, controversy has been raised over numerous aspects of the dress code. One grandparent contacted the Times-Gazette earlier this week to share her concerns over embellished jeans, which are prohibited, according to the dress code.

"(My grandson) was placed in ISS (in school suspension) for about an hour until his mother was summoned from teaching class at another school to come to his school," said Ann Hambrick, who said her grandson got in trouble over a very small fabric glitch. "She then had to travel to another town to get some more clothing and return to his school for him to change, then return to the school in which she was teaching."

Embellished jeans

Thursday night, the school board addressed their concerns and the concerns of parents. Controversial items in the code include embellished jeans, which Looper said have posed the most problems.

Some jeans are faded or have factory glitches, like Hambrick's grandson's jeans, and some have patches. Some board members, like Amy Martin, favored lightening up on the policy, for jeans that may be a little faded or patched due to wear.

"That is because somebody is trying to get by with what they have," Martin said, acknowledging also that low rise jeans, another issue for girls that was brought up by Looper as posing some issues, are what stores are selling these days.

But Chairman Barry Cooper quickly proved that not all board members were necessarily in agreement with lightening up on the policy.

"We added jeans (to the dress code) as a compromise at the last minute," he said. "We want to make jeans work, but they're going to have to work with us."

Cooper also said for girls having trouble finding jeans that are not too low or not embellished, the option to wear khakis is a viable one.

Consistency

Board members have heard from parents, on both sides of the issue, and another complaint of one parent was that her child wore the same pair of jeans to school four days in a row and they were fine, until the fourth day, when the child was sent to ISS.

Gray said he wanted the dress code strictly enforced as it is written.

"I want consistency in each school, and I want consistency from school to school," Gray said.

Other issues that were brought up included whether the dress code applies to buses (it does), length of skirts (Looper said "finger tip length," as the code states to be the rule of thumb, is too short on some girls), boot-cut jeans with slits on the bottoms, game day jerseys and sagging jeans.

"We're still trying to knock that out," said Looper, adding that overall, most of the issues are being corrected, they just need a little fine tuning.

Has learning increased?

Glenn Forsee chimed in to ask a question that has been on a lot of parents' minds. Has the dress code increased student productivity and learning?

Most agreed that two weeks was not a long enough period of time to determine an answer for that.

"I worry about kids being in ISS when parents can't make it there" to give them new clothes. "I'm just being honest," Looper said.

Fair Haven Baptist Church donated clothes to the schools to be used for children whose parents can't make it in to replace clothes that are not in compliance, and this has been helpful, said Looper, noting that there are plenty of shirts but they need more pants.

"Do we need to do something to help?" asked Dixie Parker.

According to Looper, the bottom line is that things are going well and the schools are meeting their goals, working through glitches and fine-tuning enforcement. The board left it up to Looper to use his best judgment with how to enforce the policy for jeans; however, they urged him to tightly follow the code to the best of his ability.

It was also noted by Looper that Somali students, overall, are trying to comply with the dress code. The girls are wearing long skirts, polo-type shirts and head wraps that are solid colors. No boys have been out of compliance.

Creativity is still evident

Creativity has not been diminished with the dress code, according to board members.

Diane Neeley has visited several schools and said, "I thought the kids looked great ... and none of them looked the same." Though still unique, she said she felt the dress code had leveled out the playing field among students who come from varying financial backgrounds.

Regarding creativity, Gray brought a little humor to the meeting by giving the board an example of one student who, in years prior, showed his individuality by dressing in "Goth" style clothing, with his hair spiked high.

Now, this individual is wearing a shirt and tie, with neat hair, every day so he can stand out, said Gray.

Teachers

The board also discussed the dress of teachers and said they've heard some parents complain that they're not in compliance with the dress code.

"When I walk into the school I want to see a difference in a teacher and a student," said board member Amy Martin, with the board stating that 95 percent of the teachers dress acceptably.

"I hope teachers remember that they are professionals and are there to set examples," she said.

A change of heart

Of the great amount of feedback the board has received, the majority of it has been positive, they say. Even parents who were originally against the dress code, like Tammy Cantrell, have found some good in it.

Cantrell had concerns over affordability, and felt the code violated kids' rights to express themselves.

"It is actually more affordable than I thought," she told the T-G. "It makes deciding what to wear a lot easier."

Board member Dixie Parker said, "I have had several parents who have wanted to thank the board and I have heard from several who wish we were even stricter."

Chairman Barry Cooper thanked the administrators for enforcing the dress code and said they're making progress.

"It will get smoother if we stay after it," he said.

The board also made clear that the dress code is not the only thing they're trying to do to improve learning in the schools.

"We have many other things we're working toward," said Neeley, noting that improving test scores was a primary goal. "This is only one thing and I don't want the public to think this is all we're doing."

UPCOMING IN THE T-G

Look for more coverage of the Board of Education meeting, including a building program update, in Sunday's edition of the Times-Gazette.