THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 21, 1995 TAG: 9501210154
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
A controversial new dress code for teachers at Ruffner Middle School, a first among city schools, probably couldn't be enforced if a teacher refused to follow it, school administrators say.
``It could be challenged,'' acknowledged Thomas B. Lockamy Jr., assistant superintendent for school governance. ``I don't think it can be mandated, from my reading of the law. I don't see that those who disagree could be forced to adopt the dress code. You can't terminate someone for that.''
The teacher dress code is closely linked to the school's push to have students wear uniforms. Principal Pamela Hoffler-Riddick has said that if students are to be expected to dress a certain way, so should teachers. Parents will hear presentations and be invited to ask questions about student uniforms at a meeting today at the school.
The General Assembly is expected to consider legislation that would allow school boards to require that students wear uniforms.
While there may be no legal way to force teachers to comply with a dress code, Lockamy said, teachers who don't conform could ``be made to feel uncomfortable by their peers.''
To the leaders of the city's two teachers' groups, that's a scary prospect. The code, covered in eight pages of detail, is specific to length of dresses, proper fit, types of fabrics and which colors are most appropriate.
Teacher representatives have lobbied members of the School Board and the administration to quash the code. While the school's faculty may have voted for it, they did so under Hoffler-Riddick's direction.
Charlene Christopher, president of the Education Association of Norfolk, gave the School Board a copy of a staff memo in which Hoffler-Riddick wrote that a dress code ``is not open for negotiation, in that we will have one in place for the upcoming year.''
``Who's going to determine whether my bright red dress is distracting to someone?'' Christopher said. ``Yes, you should dress professionally. The concerns we still have will be monitoring what will happen if someone is not meeting the dress code, and how subjective is this policy still going to be.''
Marian Flickinger, president of the Norfolk Federation of Teachers, said the code's specificity ``just went beyond reasonable.''
The dress code would not become effective until the start of school in September. Teachers' groups worry about the precedent that Ruffner's code may set. If it spreads to other schools, a serious morale problem could develop, Christopher said.
``Most teachers dress appropriately,'' Christopher said. ``If there's a problem with one teacher, you should talk to that person.''
Flickinger was particularly critical of the approximately $4,000 Hoffler-Riddick spent to send teachers to charm school last summer and hire an image consultant to help draft the dress code.
``I'm appalled that that kind of funding would be used, like that's the most critical problem we face,'' Flickinger said. In a Dec. 19 letter to Hoffler-Riddick, Flickinger said the money would have been better spent on school supplies or an after-school tutorial program.
The principal and central office administrators have defended the use of the money.
``If you look at what the quality-improvement movement is saying to us, the retraining of staff in every aspect is imperative,'' Lockamy said, who added that Norfolk schools now spend more than $1 million annually in staff development.
``We're doing a lot of things to get children to come to school,'' Christopher said. ``What kind of burden is this going to put on parents from a lower socio-economic status? And what happens to those parents and children who don't want to participate?'' MEMO: Related story on page B1.
SCHOOL HEARING
Parents of children who attend Ruffner Middle School will have the
chance today to hear a presentation by school officials and voice
opinions on whether students should wear uniforms. The meeting will be
held at 10 a.m. in the school's auditorium. by CNB