CAPE SCHOOL BOARD DISCUSSES STUDENT DRESS POLICY

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education held a study session Monday to consider board policies and administrative concerns regarding student grades, dress, attendance and behavior at secondary schools.

Building principals made presentations to the school board on policies regarding dress codes, attendance, waiver of final examinations, in-school suspension procedures and the merits of an 11-point grading scale over a four-point grading scale. In most cases, the board directed building principals at Louis J. Schultz, Central Junior High and Central High School to work with upper-level administrators to make recommendations that would make policies more consistent between the buildings.

Much discussion was devoted to student dress codes at the three secondary schools. District policy gives principals discretion to determine what is "appropriate for the educational environment."

This policy is interpreted differently at all three buildings, with stricter rules at the junior high and more leniency at Schultz and the high school. Central High School Principal Randie Fidler said high school students will see stricter guidelines this year.

"We're going to reduce the bare areas for ladies to require three- to four-inch shoulder straps on shirts and covering the midriffs," he said. "We were getting a lot of spaghetti straps, a lot of halter tops, and we do feel we need a little more coverage."

Oversized pants are less of a problem than in the past, but some students continue to pull pants and skirts low to achieve a "sagging" look, Fidler said. However, bare navels and barely-there tops are becoming more disruptive in classrooms.

Administrators said the majority of clothing marketed to students falls outside of district policy guidelines. However, students have a general idea of what is acceptable and what's not, and the new high school policy will make the gray areas more clear, they said.

Board members questioned whether school uniforms would alleviate disruptions caused by inappropriate clothing. Administrators said uniforms would probably be rejected without a consensus from the community.

"If we're going to pursue this it would be better to have a grassroots effort," said schools Superintendent Dr. Dan Steska.