HITCHCOCK — Hitchcock public school district trustees, in a break from the trend of standardized dress, will consider loosening the district’s dress code requirements.
Skimpy clothing and saggy jeans still would be prohibited under the proposed dress code. There will be no “cracks, cleavage, baggy or saggy” pants or visible undergarments allowed under the more liberal dress code, Superintendent Mike Bergman said.
But students would be able to wear, within reason, pants and shirts they want — with the exception of students in grades five through eight. All students also would be allowed to carry backpacks again under the proposed dress code.
Trustees are expected to vote on the proposed code tonight.
The district’s standardized dress code, which has been in place for years, was a safety measure, Bergman said.
But as parents demanded fewer restrictions on their children’s clothing, district officials rewrote the rules to try to relax the standards, Bergman said.
A more liberal dress code means parents likely will spend more on school clothes, he said.
“We were trying to be economical for the parents and not fight a fashion war, but if they want to do that, and they can afford it, now they can,” Bergman said.
If trustees approve the dress code, students will be allowed to wear pants in any color or pattern, and shirts and blouses in any design, pattern or color, as long as they have sleeves.
Students in grades five through eight, however, still will be required to wear solid-color, polo-style shirts.
Under the proposed dress code, students no longer would be required to tuck in their shirts or wear belts — a requirement in nearly every school district in the state. They also would be allowed to carry backpacks again. Backpacks were banned years ago when district officials fretted that students would smuggle drugs, alcohol and weapons into school, Bergman said.
Among other changes in the district’s dress code:
• Appropriate makeup would be permitted for all students. Excessive makeup, including heavy eyeliner and black lipstick, still would be prohibited.
• So-called spirit shirts promoting the school district could be worn any day, but homemade shirts still would be prohibited.
• Looping or dangling earrings would be allowed, but they could be no longer than 1 inch long and 1 inch wide. Boys could wear only two stud earrings per ear. Nose, lip, tongue and eyebrow rings and other “body rings” would be prohibited.
+++
At A Glance
WHAT: Hitchcock school board
WHEN: 7 p.m. tonight
WHERE: School district boardroom, conference facility, 8004 N. Railroad.
