Scott City schools looking at dress code

Walk the halls of Scott City High School in late spring or early fall and you're bound to see students in short shorts and low-cut halter tops.

"There is inappropriate dress out there, and there has been," said Scott City School Board president Scott Amick.

But it appears the days of baggy pants and revealing blouses are numbered in the Scott City School District.

Last month, the board approved a standardized dress policy that eventually will spell out precisely what students can wear to school. Tonight, the Scott City Committee to Study Student Dress Codes is expected to finalize recommendations for appropriate dress and for a vote on the policy later this month. The goal is to have the standardized dress code, spelling out what students are allowed to wear at school, in place by the beginning of 2012.

The school district would join the ranks of a few public school districts in Missouri that have implemented standardized dress codes or school uniforms.

Amick and administrators say a change in wardrobe will cut down on distractions and improve the overall learning environment.

Nationally, proponents say uniform policies promote school safety, improve discipline and enhance the learning environment. Critics argue the educational benefits don't pan out. One Southeast Missouri superintendent said a uniform policy has made a big difference on attitude and performance in her schools.

Gauging the community

Tonight's meeting is part of an exhaustive information-gathering process from the 55-member study committee, made up of students, teachers, parents and others. Since its launch in late September, the committee has conducted surveys, gauging community sentiment on a dress code. Amick said response has been mostly positive. Among the major concerns from respondents were the restrictive nature of a dress standard and its financial cost.

Beth Cox, co-chairwoman of the committee, said fear of the unknown really is the biggest concern.

"There are private schools that have done this for many years and they have seen the benefits, but not many public schools are looking at this," Cox said.

Scott City need only look to Cape Girardeau's St. Vincent de Paul School for guidance. The parochial school has maintained a school uniform policy for years. Superintendent Kay Glastetter said she cannot say definitively that a dress code drives up student academic performance, but it does make learning easier.

"There are no distractions about the shirt being too tight or the shorts too short," she said. "It takes out a whole issue that we don't have to deal with, and it gives more time for instruction."

St. Vincent served as a case study and benefactor for the Caruthersville School District, which enacted a stringent uniform policy a little over a year ago. The parochial school donated some of its uniform clothing to the high-poverty school district in the Bootheel. Students are required to wear navy, black or khaki pants. No blue jeans are allowed. Pants with belt loops demand a belt. Shirts must be collared, have sleeves and be tucked in.

Superintendent J.J. Bullington said the schools phased in the uniform policy from a tighter dress code enacted in the fall semester of 2009. After a year in place, she said, the results have been positive.

There was some resistance at first, she said. Some parents and student complained about the legal right of the district to impose dress standards, although courts have consistently sided with schools' rights to implement such policies. And there were concerns about the costs of outfitting students. For those who couldn't afford the initial investment, Bullington said clothing needs were provided through community donations.

As for the argument about dress codes impeding personal expression, Bullington said the dress code is preparing students for life beyond high school.

"In the working world there is a standard expectation of dress," Bullington said. "I tell them, if I came to school with my pants sagging and my boobs hanging out, I'm sure the board would find a new superintendent."

Bullington said performance did go up, but she acknowledges school district benefited from its involvement in the pilot Turnaround Project, a federally funded initiative aimed at improving low-achieving schools. She said the dress code has had a profound effect on behavior, however.

"The administration was dealing with dress daily last year. It was taking up a huge amount of their time," she said. "Now they tell me they don't deal with dress code issues at all."

And bullying associated with clothing, Bullington said, has plummeted.

Critics of school dress codes, like University of Missouri-Columbia sociologist David Brunsma, argue uniform policies do little to improve performance. In his 2005 book, "Uniforms in Public Schools: A Decade of Research and Debate," Brunsma asserted there was no empirical relationship between a uniform code and student achievement, substance abuse or violence. He could not be reached for comment.

His research, at the time, showed about one in four public elementary schools and one in eight public middle and high schools in the United States have policies dictating what a student wears to school, although education officials say the numbers are much smaller in Missouri. Revised state law affords school districts the power to set policy on student dress, something Scott City's Amick believes will drive a trend in Missouri public education.

Cox said the study committee believes the district needs to embrace change.

"That's our goal, that it will bring positive change," she said.

mkittle@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

3000 Main St., Scott City, MO