Fairfax County Public Schools already had a dress code, but its new one is more specific, so principals believe it'll be easier to enforce. So far, student reaction is mixed.
"There's a new dress code?" asked Chantilly High freshman Melissa Atkinson, Tuesday morning, on the first day of school. "It sucks, but I'll just have to deal with it."
She's got that right — because, although local principals vary regarding how lenient they'll be before lowering the boom on students refusing to comply with the new rules — they definitely intend to crack down on offenders.
"For the first two days, we'll give them slips saying, 'If we enforced it hard, you wouldn't make it today. Think about what you have to wear,'" said Westfield High Principal Dale Rumberger. "We want them to self-police and make good choices."
However, his patience has limits. "On Thursday [Sept. 4], we'll give [violators] T-shirts to wear," he said. "But by Friday, if you're not properly dressed, we'll call your parents to either bring you home to get dressed or take some clothes to you at school."
THE NEW DRESS CODE — approved in June by the School Board — bars clothing containing vulgar, obscene or discriminatory language, plus anything promoting weapons, violence, gangs, drugs, tobacco or alcohol. Private parts — including the midriff, cleavage and rear ends — may not be exposed, and clothing may not be sexually provocative.
At Chantilly, Principal Tammy Turner had an even shorter fuse than Rumberger's. "I'm going to give them one day," she said Tuesday. "I will make an announcement today, reminding everybody — even though I sent Superintendent [Daniel A.] Domenech's letter home, twice. And there are T-shirts in the subschools."
By Wednesday, Sept. 3, she expected to call dress-code violators' parents. Said Turner: "They may as well get used to it, right away."
Chantilly freshman Danielle Stagno said it's OK with her: "I don't mind; it's not that big of a deal." Agreeing, classmate Christian Johnson, 14, said, "It doesn't really bother me that much because it's pretty much the normal stuff that I'd expect."
Junior Noelle Albert was also unaware of the new dress code, but said, "My mom wouldn't let me leave the house in that stuff, anyway." Furthermore, added Heather Hilton, 16, "From what I saw, it doesn't look like it changed [that much]. People always got in trouble for wearing that kind of stuff."
At Stone Middle, Principal Ken Gaudreault is pleased with the new dress code. "We all knew what was inappropriate clothing for school, but we didn't have anything in writing to support it," he explained, and that led to "inconsistencies."
He said the previous guidelines only prohibited "clothing that is distractive to the learning process," but it was a broad statement. "It's more specific now," he said. For example, girls aren't allowed to wear short shirts showing their midriffs or exposing cleavage. Spaghetti straps and tank tops are no-no's, as are boys' baggy, low-rider jeans, revealing their rear ends and underwear.
"I understand that the fads don't support us in education," said Gaudreault. "And it was the style of clothing that was never before defined. In the past, parents would become defensive and we'd become defensive, and it was awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. This way, it's all written down for everyone to see."
NOTING THAT THE WAY children dress affects their behavior, he said, "If they dress down, they act up." Since the clothing guidelines were sent home to parents this summer, Gaudreault said the policy's "pretty clear and everyone understands what's expected." And, he added, "We expect full parental support." As for student violators, he said, "We usually give them a warning and T-shirts — and we call their parents right away."
On Tuesday, Stone students were divided on the subject. Brandon Holmberg, 13, still hadn't heard about it, and Joseph Rhim, 14, said he didn't mind the new dress code, at all. Brandon Farrell, 13, didn't like it "because it's too strict," but Casey Ea, 13, agreed that baggy pants hanging down "shouldn't be allowed. You should just wear regular clothing."
Britney Kalmar, 12, liked "knowing that you can't wear stuff that's bad, because guys would probably stare." Besides, she said, "I don't think it's good to wear [provocative clothing] at school and show your body off — even though some girls would like to do that. We're here to learn."
Still, said Kristen Utter, 12, "I'm not too nuts over the shorts thing — they have to be past your fingertips — and no spaghetti straps and halter tops. That's what I normally wear." But, she added, "In some respects, it's part of [the school's] responsibility because they're the ones supervising you."