Students will not be required to wear school uniforms in Screven County next year, but the current dress code is expected to have its belt tightened more.
That was the decree announced by the administration at the monthly school board meeting Monday after just five months ago saying a version of a school uniform would be the rule from pre-kindergarten students to high school seniors.
The reason for the change of mind, administrators say, was because of the input received from the community upon the board’s declaration that a uniform format was coming.
Superintendent Whit Myers told board members that the administrators are working on a dress code that would take into consideration the opinions of students, parents and educators while maintaining discipline.
“We are not recommending that we go to school uniforms,” Myers said. “We will work on revising our current dress code.”
Myers said the majority of dress code violations are not at the elementary or middle school levels.
“They don’t have the complaints as they do at the high school,” Myers said. “To impose those (dress code changes) on the elementary and middle school would be overkill.”
The superintendent said the individual schools would be allowed to establish dress codes that best suit the ages of their students. Although a school uniform policy will not go into effect for the 2010-2011 year, Myers said the dress code will have to be more stringent in grades nine through 12.
“We would like to go back to tucking in the shirts,” said Brett Warren, the high school principal.
“We also get a lot of complaints about cleavage of girls showing,” Myers said. “I’ve asked the high school to come up with a policy they can enforce.
“There is a world of difference if you go to the middle school and then to the high school when you see the classes change,” Myers said. “There is a difference in the philosophy of enforcement by teachers.”
Middle school principal Jim Thompson said parts of the dress code need more clarification. Thompson said the sixth through eighth graders sometimes like to wear pants with holes in them.
“The holes in pants is a trend right now,” Thompson said. “I am pleased with the collared shirts. I am pleased with how that has worked out for us.”
Becky Martin, the elementary school principal, said she would like to address the issue of some female students in fifth grade and younger who wear leggings that resemble a miniskirts.
Troy Lawton, a board member, asked why the administration pulled away from the school uniform decision.
“The real driving force really began with this board. There seemed to be an agreement about uniforms. Our administrators weren’t the ones who initiated the change,” Myers said. “In the meantime, we got a lot of feedback that this may not be the right time.”
School board chairman Lindy Sheppard said the decision to modify the current dress code was fine with him.
“This is a work in progress,” Sheppard said. “You have my blessing to proceed.”
Board member Julie Cannon said that what she has being hearing from parents is they just want to know what the plan will be.
“Mommas just want to know,” Cannon said. “They just want a decision.”
BOE member Tom Avret said teachers must be held accountable for their students.
“If I would have been told I needed to got to uniforms, then I would enforce it,” Warren said, “and if I am told not to go with uniforms, then I will enforce that.”
The initial school uniform policy was announced by the BOE at its Sept. 14 meeting. The new policy was scheduled to go into effect with the first day of school for the 2010-2011 year for pre-kindergarten to 12th graders.
The exact specifics of what the school uniform would entail was not finalized, but a survey was distributed to parents requesting input after the BOE announced that the uniform policy was coming.