School board adopts dress code for grades 6-12

The dress code for Maricopa schools has been the focus of ongoing discussion, surveys and comments for the past several months. At Wednesday’s governing board meeting a grades 6-12 dress code was formally adopted for middle and high school students.

Guidelines for elementary students were adopted last month (see related story). They include:
1. Any colored collared shirt or a school T-shirt
2. Black or blue jeans (clean and neat with appropriate fit)
3. Khaki, blue or black pants
4. Shoes or sandals secured behind the heel (no wheels)

The intent was to maintain a “uniform” aspect for elementary students while transitioning to more dress code choices for the upper grades. Both middle school and high school administrators hoped to bring their respective dress codes in line in order to minimize changes from middle school to high school while creating less confusion regarding expectations for students and their parents.

Maricopa Wells Principal Stephanie Sharp, presenting the dress code to governing board members, noted that it was “more professional, more educational.”

Valerie Whitchurch, high school assistant principal, said, “We think this is a dress code that works.”

Board member Tim White, an advocate for uniforms, questioned the dress code’s enforcement by teachers. “The teachers’ primary responsibility is to educate children, not police them,” he said.

Whitchurch explained that it takes a village to raise a child–parents, teachers, administrators and students who are old enough to make correct choices and decisions.

We had many comments, some more stringent or less stringent,” explained Sharp. “We tried to compromise to meet all comments while still maintaining the integrity of the dress code.”

Board member Shannon Amos said he felt the very detailed code should be easy to enforce.
Maricopa Wells math teacher Shannon Hull said, “The dress code is for the safety of our kids, our community and the atmosphere of the school. If we as staff are supportive, we’re not going to have any problems.”

Shannan White, a middle school social studies teacher, recommended each first hour take two minutes at the beginning of class to check for dress code violations.

Tony Barzilla, who provides security at the middle school, disagreed. “The school district is in the business of educating students; they are not their parents and should not have to police them. The more complicated the dress code the more loopholes.”

Acting board president Tracy Davis thanked both Sharp and Whitchurch for their efforts in providing the dress code guidelines. She requested that teachers, as role models, abide by the same code as the students and that parents and students be informed of the changes prior to ID photos and the start of the school year.

The guidelines for the grades 6-12 dress code passed by a vote of 2 to 1 with White voting against its adoption. Board president Jim Chaston and member Shannon Johns were absent.

The newly adopted dress code is as follows:

Dress Code Maricopa Schools Grades 6-12
Students and parents/guardians should be aware that school is a place for the business of education and is not a showcase for extreme styles of dress and grooming. Students must follow the dress code guidelines as listed below:

General
· Dress and grooming will be clean and in keeping with health, sanitary, and safety requirements.
· While attending school or participating in any school sponsored activities, a student’s dress and/or grooming will not disrupt the setting or constitute a health or safety threat to the individual or other students.

Shirts/Blouses/Turtlenecks
· Upper body articles of clothing should have sleeves. NO tank style tops. Shirts or blouses exposing midriff, backs, or with plunging necklines are not permitted. Midriffs may not be showing at any time. Both sitting and standing alike. Logos, other than school logos, may not be any larger than 2″x2″.
· All clothing must be of sufficient density that the body cannot be seen through the clothing.
· Undergarments should not be showing at any time.

Slacks/Pants/Skirts/Shorts
· Lower body articles must be hemmed. Logos, other than school logos, may not be any larger than 2″x2″.
· Shorts/Skirts/Skorts will extend at least one inch past fingertips when the hand is extended at the side while standing straight.
· No “saggin” (baggy) pants/shorts. Shorts and pants must be worn at the waist.

Other
· Baseball caps are permissible, with school logo only. Cowboy hats are permissible. No headgear (hats) may be worn inside the building. Hoodies/hooded sweatshirts may not be worn in class.
· No bandanas, beanies, do rags or headbands may be worn or in possession on campus.
· No T-shirts or “rags” may be slung over the shoulders.
· Sunglasses may not be worn inside school buildings unless a note from a physician is provided in the nurse’s office.
· Clothing that is torn, ragged, or designed to look sloppy or attract undue attention will not be permitted.
· Sleepwear or beachwear is not permitted.
· Proper footwear may be required in certain classes, i.e. Physical Education. No flip-flops, slippers, or “heelies” allowed.
· Pocket chains, studded bracelets, dog collars, giant beaded necklaces and other articles which may be judged to be potentially harmful and/or could be used as a weapon are not permitted.
· Clothing items cannot be worn in anyway that reflects gang affiliation, conceal contraband, creates a distraction, or creates an atmosphere of threat, intimidation or undue pressure or disrupts the educational environment/process.
· Jewelry used in conjunction with visible body piercing such as nose rings, studs, tongue studs, eyebrow rings, chin studs, ear gauging, etc… is prohibited.
· All tattoos must be covered and hidden from view – permanent and temporary
· Articles of clothing, buttons or badges may not be worn if it contains the following:

Offensive/obscene/vulgar words, phrases, or illustrations; derogatory statements toward the purpose of education, political, religious, racial, or national groups; references to drugs, alcohol, weapons, violence, gangs; inappropriate sexual references; and/or advertises any product or service not permitted to minors by law (ie: alcohol/tobacco companies, Playboy bunny).

Students not following the dress code may not attend classes/events until they change into appropriate attire.

The above guidelines are in effect on school property, as well as while students are attending any event in which a Maricopa Unified School District team, squad, group, or individual is participating, regardless of location. If a student is unable to get appropriate attire from home, the office will provide substitute items as available. All inappropriate articles will be confiscated and need to be picked up by parents/guardians.

Administrator Discretion:
The school administration retains the final discretion to determine that the garment or accessory meets the dress code. The school administration retains the right to change certain requirements in the dress code as issues arise throughout the year. Some exceptions may be made for uniforms, formal attire, and or spirit days.

Consequences:
Students in non-compliance with dress code will be removed from the classroom and provided one opportunity to get in dress code (i.e. change, remove, call parents, etc.) All additional violations will result in disciplinary action including ISS, OSS, etc.

Dress code courtesy of MUSD