Administration takes a firmer stance on dress code
Clarke Central High School’s administration team has implemented a new dress code policy to combat the constant dress code infractions at the school.
In a final attempt to avoid uniforms, Clarke Central High School’s administration team is increasing the consequences for dress code violations.
“I do not care for uniform policy but if we don’t get this dress code intact we’re going to have to go to uniforms,” CCHS Principal Dr. Robbie P. Hooker said.
The dress code policy has undergone changes for the 2012-13 school year. What students can wear has changed little; however, the consequences for wearing the wrong thing have increased. Upon the first violation the students will only receive a warning, while upon the second violation, parents receive a call from the school, students are placed in ISS, and are written up.
Hooker feels that the problem with inappropriate dress is intensifying.
“It’s getting worse, and it is a distraction to class (if) a guy with saggy pants (is) bending over in front of you,” Hooker said. “And some of these things that the female students wear (are) a disruption.”
The dress code’s tightening rules are a last resort for the administration. Teachers feel that they have to spend too much time focusing on dress related issues and students often complain of inconsistency in enforcement.
“I can tell you, if it was left up to the faculty, I would say about 70 or 80 percent of the faculty may say ‘let’s go to uniforms’,” Hooker said.
The new consequences are being implemented immediately. Violations are being recorded and the administration team is determined to be consistent in their enforcement of the rules.
“Each time a child is warned it is placed in a spread sheet so we know that we’re being consistent every time. This is what we need to do,” Hooker said.
The administration team faces challenges implementing the new policy in the form of students who do not believe that the policy is consistent.
“Some students will get up in your face, (and say) ‘you’re letting other girls get away with it, or the black girls get away with it, or the white girls,’” Hooker said.
In attempt to avoid accusations of inconsistency, the dress code policy is now the same across the school district and the security officers are not allowing exceptions.
CCHS sophomore Perrin Aycock, although unhappy with the rules, is happy that the dress code is being enforced with more regularity.
“As a girl, I hate not being able to wear shorts if I want to be comfortable, but I am glad that (the administration team) is being more consistent,” Aycock said.
The administration team hopes that the new consequences will improve the compliancy of CCHS students.
“If you want to learn responsibility, if you want more freedom, you have to be responsible for what you’ve given now,” Hooker said.
