First day with new dress code goes smoothly, Scott City school officials say

A new unified dress code seems to be working out well for the Scott City School District -- at least on the first day of school -- according to administrators, teachers, students and some parents.

"I was not even remotely close to sending anyone home," said the high school principal Michael Johnson as school let out Wednesday.

Throughout the day, Johnson said, he did pull six or seven students aside to remind them that pinstripes on their collared shirts or embellishments on belts were not in line with the dress code, but that aside, the first day went much better than he expected.

The district's dress code now requires students to wear solid-color shirts with collars and plain khaki, black or navy pants. Capri pants, shorts and skirts in those colors are also acceptable as long as they meet length requirements, as are jeans as long as they aren't faded and have no holes. Shoes can be slip-on or have laces, and belts must be black, brown or white with no embellishments. The school board approved the dress code policy during the last school year after a community committee looked at a code's pros and cons. Supporters say dress codes promote school safety, improve discipline and enhance the learning environment, while critics argue that there are no real educational benefits.

According to Missouri law, a public school district may require students to wear a school uniform or restrict student dress to a particular style and a school district may determine the style and color of the school uniform.

Johnson met with each grade level throughout the day. The main topic was the dress code, he said, and students had plenty of questions.

"They weren't downing it; they just wanted clarification, mostly," he said. "The questions they asked were mature."

Juniors Paige Crump and Kimberly Curry had already changed out of their school clothes before they went to Ice Cream Corner on Main Street for a soda after school, but neither seemed to have a problem with the new rules.

"Walking through the halls and looking around I noticed everyone looked really good," Curry said.

Crump said she heard some students complaining about the dress code, but she said they were the people who normally complain about everything.

"It's at least easier in the morning," she said. "I don't really have to spend a lot of time thinking about what I am going to wear."

No students were asked to change clothes or sent home from the middle school either, according to principal Michael Umfleet.

"I was really expecting today to be a little tougher," he said. Umfleet said he noticed a difference in the overall look of the students, and not just in their clothes.

"Some that would normally be here with longer hair were coming in with haircuts," he said. He said he also heard comments from teachers about how nice they thought the students looked.

Umfleet said before school started that he expected more comments than he actually received from parents about how they couldn't afford the clothing for the dress code, but they, too, mostly just had questions about what items would be acceptable.

Umfleet said the idea for a uniform swap has been circling through the district, which would help parents save money on the clothes. Umfleet has two children in the district in kindergarten and second grade. He said while shopping for school clothes, his family actually found the clothes required by the code to be cheaper than shopping for regular school clothes. The district's PTO did sell polo shirts for $4 or less during an open house to help some parents with purchasing school clothes.

Chaundra Mason has several children in the district and said she does believe there should be a dress code, but said she wonders why a less stringent dress code in place last year wasn't better enforced.

"I don't think with the economy the way it is that parents need to be stressed out over what their kids are wearing in a public school," she said.

While waiting to pick up her two grandchildren from the middle school, Charlotte Thomas said the dress code made shopping easier this year.

Others said they were in favor of the dress code because they thought it would help remove stigmas.

"Before it was almost like they would pick someone out for a friend based on what they were wearing," said Sheilah Enderle, while she waited to pick up her granddaughter Lexi from third grade.

"I think it gives them a whole new outlook on seeing individuals instead of a price tag," she said.

High school history teacher Seth Ward said the first day of school this year was different from in years past in that the dress code has already changed the classroom.

"I looked out over the classroom and everyone just looked nice," he said. "It seems like a more professional environment."

Ward was a student of the Scott City School District and served on the committee that studied student dress codes last year. He said while the first day back seemed very positive, he doesn't think the full effect of the dress code should be measured for success until the end of the year.

eragan@semissourian.com

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3000 Main St., Scott City, MO