Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for July 23, 2006 DRESS CODE...DETROIT STYLE

From The Detroit News...

Is school's new dress code too strict?

Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News

Kids in Lincoln Park should enjoy their Hello Kitty and Disney clothes now because wearing them to school this fall could get them suspended or even expelled.

On the eve of back-to-school shopping season, Lincoln Park has joined a handful of Metro Detroit schools cracking down on attire, and has done them one better. The district banned sports jerseys, studded jewelry, jogging suits, shirts with messages or pictures, cargo pants, sandals, fleece, camouflage and more.

The policy affects all students, so even popular staples among lower elementary grades -- apparel themed with puppies, teddy bears and kittens -- are out. The changes are so sweeping some parents in the 5,000-pupil district are replacing entire wardrobes for their children.

"I don't think it's right," said Stacy Walker, a mother of two daughters upset that her second-grader no longer can wear sparkly T-shirts and rhinestone-studded jeans. "Parents are going to be stressed out about what they should buy."

Lincoln Park's dress code, which parents received in the mail this month, follows similar, but less extreme, constraints throughout southeast Michigan. Southfield last year barred jeans. This spring, Detroit banned nose rings and colors associated with Los Angeles gangs.

The policies may be unpopular with students who view clothes as a form of personal expression, but administrators say they minimize distractions and force students to concentrate on learning, not what the kid in the next desk is wearing.

Students can be expelled

Lincoln Park's policy followed numerous complaints about youths wearing pajamas to class, jeans with holes, sandals and baggy pants or clothing that exposes stomachs and "butt cracks," said Charles Higgins, vice president of the school board.

The code allows jeans -- as long as they're not deemed baggy, tight or long -- and jewelry that is not "excessive, large, bulky or flashy." Nothing is allowed on shirts except "a manufacturer logo on the upper left chest that's no longer than 2 inches in diameter," Higgins said.

First offenders must change their clothes. The penalties escalate to three-day suspension for the second offense and expulsion for the fourth.

Higgins initially thought the rules were too strict. Now, he considers them liberal.

"At first I thought not allowing little kids to wear shirts with a kitty or teddy bear was asking too much, but there are some kids who wear shirts with sayings that aren't very nice or jerseys causing physical fights," said Higgins, who has been on the board for 39 years.

Superintendent Randall Kite did not return phone calls from The Detroit News. Board member Mike Bartnikowski said the time had come for a change.

"There's a tendency with kids to push the limits to see what they can get away with, Bartnikowski said. "Even the most liberal of board members can't deal with students wearing pajamas and low-down flip-flops to school; it's not conducive to education."

The code has prohibited so many types of apparel that parent Amanda Rowe has filled six garbage bags with clothing her 6-year-old daughter, Sarah, can't wear.

"I'll probably donate them to Purple Heart or give them to my friends," Rowe said. "This is going to make shopping for school much more difficult and time consuming."

The new rules have Stacy Walker's daughter, Samantha, wondering if any of her clothes will survive the purge.

She generally wears black Capri pants, shirts of her favorite punk bands, chain wallets, a fuchsia shoelace choker necklace and a black-and-white mesh glove similar to one made popular by Madonna.

"I can't wear any of my pants or jeans because they cover my shoes and the waist is not above my belly button," said Samantha, 13. "I was going to get some bondage pants (for school) that are baggy, elephant pants with chains and spikes on them, but my mom said I'll have to get a pair to just wear on the weekends and stuff."

Policies are more restrictive

Justin King, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Boards, said most districts have dress codes, but he's noticed more restrictive policies this year.

"Most stuff I've seen speaks to the amount of skin that can be shown and the length of skirts and boys shorts and that sort of thing," he said.

Jonathan Kinloch, chairman of the committee on human resources, policy and legislative affairs for Detroit Public Schools said its policy, which was adopted a couple of months ago, spells out prohibited clothing colors and styles, as they relate to each school and restrictions on facial hair and piercing.

"I think it fares well for Detroit," he said. "It's a great start to addressing some of the issues that are distracting to the children in our school community. It is one spoke in the wheel of dealing with various challenges relating to student conduct and behavior."

Michigan State University sociology professor Carl Taylor, an expert on youth violence and gangs, said the policy could increase acts of rebellion within the district.

"We are looking at the iPod generation and clothing is a form of expression," Taylor said "I am not sure it (the restrictive dress code) is worth it. They are creating a new battle. Curtailing what they are wearing does not always help deal with behavioral issues."

Kathy Angerbrandt agreed. When she first received the code in the mail, she thought it was a joke.

Now, she's not laughing. She has two daughters at Lincoln Park High School who will have to replace most of their clothes.

"I giggled and put it down and said, 'OK, right,' " Angerbrandt said. "Some of the things on the list are appropriate, but some are stupid not allowing gaucho pants and flip-flops. It's extreme."

Bartnikowski said school officials "bent over backwards" to make compromises. The district spent months debating the policies and surveyed 12 districts before implementing changes, said Higgins, of the Lincoln Park school board.

Fellow board member Bartnikowski said, "We think we are providing a fair amount of latitude to students."