Changes in dress code debated
By
Josh Jarman
JOHNSTOWN, Ohio — Vocal opposition to a uniform or restrictive dress-code policy during a recent
meeting at Northridge High School is typical of how many such community conversations start, but it
doesn’t always mean that a district won’t later adopt such a policy.
About 50 parents and students turned out for a forum this week after administrators informed
parents that they wanted to have a conversation about the district’s dress code.
That’s a euphemism for
uniforms, many of the parents who attended the meeting said before blasting the idea
during a discussion that lasted more than an hour.
“This is something that will polarize the community,” said Catherine Carney, the high-school
swimming coach and mother of a 10th-grader.
Carney said dress-code violations didn’t seem to be a big deal, and administrators should police
the existing code better before they look at implementing something new.
Northridge High Principal Amy Anderson reported at the start of the meeting that she had handled
between 25 and 30 violations since the start of the school year, but there could have been others
that teachers did not refer to her. About 480 students attend the high school.
Superintendent John Shepard said the conversation was important because many school districts
are looking at possibly changing their dress codes and the district wanted to gather input before
making any decisions. He said no one in the district’s administration used the word
uniforms in discussing a possible dress-code update, and that administrators had no strong
opinions about a restrictive policy.
A roomful of angry parents is nothing new to districts that have implemented strict policies,
with both the Johnstown-Monroe and Newark city districts serving as nearby examples.
Kim Jakeway, principal of Johnstown High School, said the roughly 100 parents and students who
turned out for the first meeting the school held on a possible dress code modeled after
Reynoldsburg’s “Raider Wear” policy were mostly against the idea. The crowd was split about 50-50
in subsequent meetings, he said.
He said the district compromised and updated its policy so that students’ clothes could not have
logos, writing or pictures on them for the 2008-09 school year. That year, Jakeway handled 985
dress-code violations in a building of about 500 students.
“That’s very time-consuming,” he said.
The next year, the district went to a more-restrictive code that allowed only four colors of
polo shirts and three colors of dress pants or skirts, and he hasn’t dealt with a single violation
since, he said.
Not every school has been as lucky.
Tricia Moore, spokeswoman for Reynoldsburg schools, said students still push back against the
policy, which mandates collared shirts and dress pants and skirts. But the policy has had the
intended effect of making the students look more professional, she said.
“All of the work was about raising the standard and having high expectations,” Moore said. “In
that regard, it’s been successful.”
Rich Playko, the student services director in Groveport-Madison schools, said he shares that “
dress for success” philosophy, which is why he will recommend to the school board that the district
adopt a similar, restrictive dress code at its February meeting.
The district has discussed such a policy for a couple of years, but a December forum to gauge
the community’s response was overwhelmed with negative feedback. The district has since sent out a
survey that revealed about 52 percent of respondents favor a stricter code.
A survey is the next step for Northridge schools, as well, and though administrators have only
started the discussion about what a policy might look like, some students are gearing up for a
fight.
Nathan Castle, 15, a high-school sophomore, said during the meeting that the district has more
important things to worry about, such as students making jokes based on race, religion or sexual
orientation.
“What we need is to be bringing in people to talk about how it’s OK to be different,” he
said.
jjarman@dispatch.com
Article source: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/28/changes-in-dress-code-debated.html