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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > August > 29 > Entry
What not to wear (to school)
Not Appropriate school attire
Appropriate school attire
I just love how Lorain schools near Cleveland spell out in pictures on a website exactly what is cool and not cool to wear to school.
But it seems not all the kids out there are getting the message. So one Indiana principal went to extreme measures.
Theresa Mayerik sent home 128 kids at her Hammond, Ind., high school for inappropriate dress.
“This was the worst year I’ve seen in a long time,” she told the Associated Press. “It’s gotten out of control, and we needed to send a message that we’re not messing around.”
Edublogger Chemjerk already has nominated her for principal of the year. The National School Boards Association’s blog BoardBuzz has also been tracking this issue nationally.
How big a problem is this at your school?
(Image credits: Lorain (Ohio) schools)
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: My Favorite Posts
Comments
By ChemJerk
August 31, 2006 11:06 AM | Link to this
To be clear, my “nomination” of Principal Mayerik for Principal of the Year was done with tongue in cheek. That said, it’s one thing for a school to have a dress code, it’s an entirely different matter to enforce it. For career protection reasons, males teachers are reluctant to enforce female dress decorum and vice versa. It’s sad, but a 27 year old, nontenured, male teacher bringing up the inappropriate dress of a 16 year old girl is putting himself at risk. Of course the teacher could approach an administrator directly, but that makes enforcement inefficient by adding a couple of steps to the process. Mayerik’s move is laudable for several reasons (1) it was done at the beginning of the year to set an appropriate tone, (2) it took the faculty off the hook and (3) the infraction can be removed from the students’ record if they behave, thus giving them a second chance for what really is a minor offense.By Jonathan
August 30, 2006 8:23 AM | Link to this
It’s the belt loops and the posture, right?By IB a Math Teacher
August 30, 2006 12:35 AM | Link to this
Don’t boys ever wear inappropriate clothing?By Ben
August 29, 2006 8:40 PM | Link to this
Lorain spelled out the rules, but they spelled sandals wrong in the rules. Shame on them.By Dave
August 29, 2006 4:49 PM | Link to this
I don’t particularly care for dress codes, but I think Lorain has done an excellent job of explaining what the guidelines are. When I taught in Texas, the “big” focus was on shirt tails. They must be tucked in at all times, to prevent hidden weapons. Second was hats, “because they might be gang colors”. I saw a couple of my students hauled away in handcuffs, but those kids were always polite, behaved in class, and minded the dress code.By Mary
August 29, 2006 11:22 AM | Link to this
I think most school districts probably lay out the rules in the student handbooks that parents and students have to “read” and sign at the beginning of the school year. One issue that has been in the papers is the wear of “hoodies” to school. I have not heard of local school districts legislating against hoodies, as well, for security reasons, but I think that is a sad trend. The hoodies, a sweatshirt like material with a hood and usually a zipper has been one of my favorite, comfortable, practical pieces of attire for years - long before they were trendy for school wear. As far as showing all the skin for school, I think that is a no brainer. It is one way schools help create social problems when some students insist on making a fashion statement and setting the school environment as bare skin and bare brains.By Oldprof
August 29, 2006 8:53 AM | Link to this
Never a problem at the college level, Scott. Adult students get to make fools of themselves through attire with impunity. Now, don’t you think that the situation is pretty dismal when a principal-of-the-year nomination, even an unofficial one, comes from someone just doing the job competently? I mean, sending students home for violating the dress code should be a no-brainer! Administrator of the year ought to go to someone who inspired excellence, motivated staff, overcame extraordinary obstacles—not to someone who just enforced the lowest common denominator.