Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 22, 1995 TAG: 9508220046
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
At some Roanoke schools, students have been permitted to have lip rings and other body piercings. At others, principals have threatened to send students home unless they remove facial jewelry and neck chains.
Students have been allowed to wear caps in some classes, but not in others. Some schools have prohibited boys from wearing pants low on their hips, but others have not.
Some parents complain that the school system does not have consistent rules on students' dress because schools have different interpretations of what is permitted.
School officials concede that might be a problem, and say they are addressing the issue as they get ready for the new school year.
"We need to have consistency from one building to the next, so we don't confuse people," said Superintendent Wayne Harris.
Ann Harman, executive for student services and alternative programs, said clear definitions and interpretations are being developed so there will be no confusion in the new school year.
Harman said she wants to be sure that the same rules are being enforced at all schools.
"We need a more definitive dress code so it does not lend itself to inconsistencies and different interpretations," said Karen Hall, a parent who recently spoke to the School Board.
"The rules are so subjective now that they are not effective. We need clear definitions."
Another parent, Patricia Edwards, said the lack of clearly defined regulations on student dress makes it more difficult for parents to control their children's attire and appearance.
"A lot of parents are not happy with their children's dress, but the children say that the schools don't care," Edwards said. "That makes it harder for the parents to impose restrictions on their children."
If students dressed more neatly, she said, they would take more pride in their schools and help keep them in nicer condition.
"I have talked to students, and a majority of them think there should be some type of dress code," Edwards said.
But many students interviewed by the newspaper for an earlier story opposed tighter restrictions on dress. They said they should be allowed to wear what they chose as long as it did not disrupt classes or injure others.
Harman said the city does not have a dress code, but it does have "dress expectations" - standards with which students are expected to comply.
"We're trying to encourage students to dress as they would if they were going to work," she said.
Students are prohibited from wearing clothing that is revealing or is imprinted with obscene or suggestive language or pictures. Clothes or accessories that could cause damage to others, such as chains, also are prohibited.
Harman said school officials are discussing possible rules on jewelry and body piercings, but she would not comment on them. Regulations on hats also are being reviewed.
"I am not prepared at this point to say what these will be. We are working on them," she said.
The schools have no restrictions on hairstyle and color. Some parents have complained that Mohawk haircuts and hair dyed such colors as purple and green are out of place in the classroom. But Harman said the city has no plans to impose restrictions on hair.
At this point, the School Board is allowing school administrators to handle the student dress issue. If administrators decide that changes are needed in the dress policy, they will submit proposals to the board, said Chairman Nelson Harris.
by CNB