Dobyns Bennett dress code

[MikMo]

By CARMEN MUSICK
Times-News

KINGSPORT - It's official.

Dobyns-Bennett High School has adopted a stricter and, hopefully, more enforceable dress code that will be in effect when students return to class this fall.

The revised dress code, now posted on D-B's Web page, is designed to ensure a safe school environment conducive to learning and provide a more concise, less subjective set of rules for administrators and teachers to enforce.

"It is fairly strict. It is probably not as strict as I, and some others, would have liked to have seen it..." said D-B Principal Earl Lovelace. "We chose to compromise on some things - whether it was from parent or student input - and hopefully we can hit a happy medium that people will be willing to go along on," he said.

The dress code, which will be in effect for the 2005-2006 school year, was revised by a team of D-B staff members and administrators and has been presented to the Kingsport Board of Education, D-B Student Government Council and the D-B PTSA.

Changes include specific restrictions on clothing, shoes, hair and exposed body piercing.

For example, all shirts have to be tucked in and must have a collar or crew neckline that exposes no more than the collarbone. If a shirt has buttons, it must be buttoned to meet the requirement.

Hooded sweatshirts, popularly referred to as hoodies, are considered outerwear and will have be stored in a locker. The revised code also bans the popular cargo pants, cargo shorts and others with large pant-leg pockets.

"Those things are primarily a safety issue" to prevent students from concealing weapons, Lovelace said. It also reduces the potential for students to conceal drugs or electronic equipment such as cell phones or radios.

"It's just a lot easier to enforce with the shirttail in. You could tuck (the shirt) in and blouse it out if you wanted to do that," he added.

Anyone who questions whether the hoodies or cargo pants create problems in the classroom need only hear some of the things students have tried like carrying radios, or even cell phones, in their pants pockets and running the wires up through their clothing so they can listen to them during class.

"We didn't go as strict as some of the schools that did their dress codes, including backpacks and everything, for safety," said BOE President Pat Turner. "But I think that's where we're headed."

The revised code also prohibits all writing on shirts, sweaters and sweatshirts. Graphics and logos on all tops must be smaller than a quarter. That means students can no longer wear logo tees featuring store brands or brand names written on them, or athletic apparel including things like Atlanta Braves' jerseys or Tennessee Vols' T-shirts. D-B athletic, club and activity shirts are permitted but must be preapproved.

"It's really just a question of how do you want the teacher to spend their time in the classroom. Do you want them to have to spend their time reading shirts to decide whether or not they're appropriate?" Turner asked.

Lovelace said there's so much of that kind of stuff on the market today that the committee opted to go with no writing at all.

Another big change in the dress code requires that all pants and shorts be a solid color. Khaki, olive, navy and blue jeans are listed specifically in the code, and Lovelace said those are the suggested choices.

However, he said other solid-colored pants, capris or shorts may be allowed as long as they meet the dress code requirements for length, style and what they expose. No pajama pants or sweatpants are allowed. In addition, pants and shorts with belt loops require a belt.

All skirts, dresses and jumpers must reach the bottom of the knee or longer - and their tops must meet the dress code requirements for shirts and sweaters.

Though it may seem strict, Turner said the revised dress code is "very similar to dress codes that have been approved all over the United States."

And while Lovelace admits there will be some questions - like do the cap sleeves prevalent on many of today's shirts for girls count as sleeves - the idea was to erase some of the ambiguities in the old code and foster a safer and better environment for learning.

"I hope we don't get to the point where we have to major in minors," Lovelace said.

For the record, on the sleeves, the school is looking for something that comes over the shoulder. Whether it's appropriate depends largely on what's exposed - which gets back to the main reason the code was revised.

"The big thing that really brought all this on was all the underwear being visibly exposed. We want to see more cotton than skin," Lovelace said.

He said people were tired of seeing underwear and the sagging pants that expose underwear or no underwear in some cases.

"School is not a place for the latest fashions. It's a place for learning," Lovelace stressed.

"High schools have been mandated to improve student achievement, graduation rate and college readiness. With a dress code, it's already proven that it reduces discipline problems. Maybe it will also help learning in the classroom."

Lovelace said the decision to revise the dress code was made because of regular and repeated inquiries and concerns from parents, teachers and administrators during the school day, in the parking lot before and after school, and at monthly PTSA meetings.

"Honestly, it wasn't an issue that I wanted to deal with right now. We've got a lot more important educational issues to worry about, but it kept coming up so much that I decided we would revisit the dress code," he said.

Lovelace said after he had informed the superintendent of his intentions and the school board was made aware of it, a committee of administrators and teachers went to work on the revision.

The committee, led by D-B band director Lafe Cook, studied other districts' dress codes, surveyed the faculty, sought input from the student council and the PTSA, and then went to work on revising the student dress code.

"We've had attorneys to look at it to get their input on it, and some of their language is in there also," Lovelace said.

The dress code will be in effect from the time students enter the school building until the end of the school day, Lovelace said.

"What they go and put on after school, what they wear to athletic contests, what they wear to the school play after hours is between the parents and the students," Lovelace said.

The revised dress code only affects students who attend D-B. A separate dress code remains in place for each elementary school and middle school.

Copies of the new D-B dress code policy will be mailed to parents along with other high school information this summer. The policy will also be made available to parents and students at the high school's main office.

[imported_elp6n]

Wow - that is unbelievably strict!
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
all shirts have to be tucked in

[/ QUOTE ]
I understand the need for an enforceable dress code, but maybe this one went a little too far?

[R0cketer]

Anybody smell lawsuits? Sorry that is all my child has and we're not going to have the money to buy more clothes, so they either wear what they have or they don't go to school....anybody hear that argument being made, I do.

[imported_elp6n]

With the things that are being restricted, how are they going to find clothes for kids? No cargo pants? That's 95% of most stores' stock!

[MikMo]

Seems like the local stores would be the ones raising the most fuss, but in the article it said that they would order clothes that comply with the code....don't want to lose any business.

[MikMo]

Bring the paddle back to school and you won't have to worry about having a dress code.

[imported_VTgal]

The fact that they have to inforce such a strict dress code is sad.

[imported_trumpet1988]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
all shirts have to be tucked in and must have a collar or crew neckline

[/ QUOTE ]

That's going a bit too far.

Our school has a committee that enforces the dress code and makes sure it's followed. Has DB tried that?

If they're going to make you tuck your shirts in they might as well make it a requirement to wear uniforms.

It's not necessary to make them tuck in the shirts.

[MikMo]

What kind of dress code does PV have?...nothing too strict, I hope. My oldest son will be there in '06, like to know what (or not) to buy for him.

[imported_trumpet1988]

not too strict

You can't wear anything pertaining to drugs, sex, cursing, racism. Things like that.