Students sitting in class during first and third periods are noticing a new announcement by administration reminding all teachers to check for any students breaking the dress code. Although the dress code has not undergone major changes, there are changes in the levels of enforcement.

“The dress code will be almost identical to last year,” principal Chris Mayfield said. “This year students will see a difference in our focus to make sure students are following the guidelines.”

Consequences for dress code vary depending on certain factors.

“Over the first couple of days what we have tried to do is just have conversations with students to make sure they know what the dress code is,” Mayfield said. “Just like with all of our other disciplinary things, we don’t have to have a structure for the first time somebody does it. We always take the situation and figure out what the appropriate response is. The consequence for being out of dress code really would be based on the number of times the student is out of dress code. If a student continues to be out of dress code, it’s not even really about dress code anymore, it’s about following the rules.”

If a  student is found to be out of dress code, he or she must change into school appropriate clothing.

“We also have some shirts or some sweatpants or some other athletic pants that we ask students to put on,” Mayfield said.

For many students the new dress code enforcement is temporary.

“I feel like the administration is going to give up within a few weeks of school starting, and it won’t last,” junior Sydney Hess said. “Most students don’t wear too revealing clothing to school anyways so it should be the same as it’s always been. I don’t get why they are making a big deal out of ripped jeans or girls shoulders either.”

Perhaps the biggest issue to come from the new enforcement concerns the cheerleading uniforms.

“We are trying to be in compliance with dress code, and there were some people who were not in dress code. That’s not fair, and it is difficult to enforce the dress code if the cheerleaders are wearing really short skirts, and Mr. Mayfield said let’s compromise and have them wearing leggings,” cheer coach Jennifer Leary said. “More than likely the girls were going to go to wearing a jersey and jeans to school and we were fine with that. We were going to go along with that gracefully, and I got an email from Mr. Mayfield that said no leggings underneath the uniform and we will readdress it in the spring.”

Clothing

1. Clothing, including tee shirts, which depicts or displays sex, violence, drugs,

tobacco, alcohol, death, gang or hate slogans or pictures.

2. As a guideline shorts and skirts must be of mid thigh length and appropriate for

stairs and sitting (short shorts or short skirts are not permitted).

3. Pants, shorts, and skirts worn below the waist (“sagging” garments are not

acceptable). In general, pants should be worn at the natural waistline. Pants that

are designed to be worn below the natural waistline may be acceptable if they do

not show underwear or skin between the top of the pants and the waistline.

4 Underwear as outerwear, exposed underwear.

5. Exposed back, chest or stomach. If exposed in any activity (sitting, standing,

walking, and leaning over) then the clothing is prohibited.

6. Exposed cleavage. Students should maintain modesty in appearance.

7. See-through shirts (e.g., thin or mesh).

8. Spaghetti straps, single shoulder tops.

9. Leggings or form fitting pants without appropriate length (mid thigh) of shorts,

skirts or tops. Form fitting lower garments must be worn with a top that covers to

mid thigh.

10. Bare feet.

11. Flannel pants, pajama pants, house shoes, robes, or sleepwear.

12. Chains on clothing or wallets, or chains worn as necklaces (refers to chains that

are sufficiently heavy that they could be used as a weapon), heavy or spiked

jewelry (e.g., dog collars, heavy chains).

13. Holes in pants above the mid thigh level.

14. Prom tee shirts must be approved and purchased through the school store.

*Any clothing or style that is disruptive or distractive in the judgment of the

principal is inappropriate.

Grooming

1. Jewelry, such as swastikas, pentagrams, spoons or other drug-related items.

2. Tattoos with disruptive, profane or lewd pictures or writing.

All extreme personal grooming that is distractive or disruptive in the judgment of

the administration is inappropriate. Facial hair must be appropriately and

neatly groomed.