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A proposed dress code policy for Cape Henlopen district schools would put flip flops, jeans and hoodies on the chopping block.
District Superintendent George Stone said he sees too many high school students dressed inappropriately. He is proposing the school board adopt a new dress code.
Under Stone’s draft proposal, students would no longer be allowed to wear jeans, sweat pants, hooded tops, sleeveless shirts, T-shirts, open-heel shoes, clogs, flip-flops or slippers to school.
Stone proposed the new dress code at the school board’s April 24 meeting, and some board members are skeptical.
“This is a beach resort area. Everyone wears flip-flops,” said board member Camilla Conlon. She is uncertain banning blue jeans and flip-flops is the way to go, but Conlon said dressing well reflects a sense of pride.
“When you look good, you feel good,” she said.
Stone said students in inappropriate and overly revealing dress are a distraction in the learning environment. Trips around district schools convinced him a dress code is needed.
Board member Spencer Brittingham agrees. “The state of dress our students are in is not conducive to a learning environment,” Brittingham said. He suggested the policy might be modified to allow jeans, so long as they were not torn, tattered or written upon.
“Once we do some fine tuning to what is proposed, we will have a policy that is acceptable and conducive to learning,” Brittingham said.
Not all board members are in favor of the plan.
“I have never been in favor of a uniform policy, and that’s what this is,” said board member Allan Redden.
The current dress code is sufficient, Redden said, but the key is enforcement. “If we make another dress code policy we don’t enforce, we will end up in the same boat,” he said.
Brittingham said current student attire is a distraction. He gave the example of students pulling down the sweatpants of other students. Graphic T-shirts can also be distracting, Brittingham said, depending on the messages they display.
Proposed changes
“The Cape Henlopen Board of Education believes that students should take pride in their appearance, with dress and grooming that contributes to the health and safety of the individual and the entire school community,” says the draft Stone proposed to the board.
His policy would permit collared shirts and blouses, turtlenecks, Polo shirts, button-down shirts, khaki pants and slacks, shorts, sneakers, sweaters, skorts, skirts, jumpers and dresses.
Skirts, shorts, dresses and jumpers can’t be shorter than 2 inches above the kneecap, by the draft proposal.
Other guidelines say that clothing must be opaque and top and bottom garments must overlap. Exposed midriffs and excessive cleavage are also banned in the draft, as are holes in clothing.
Headgear would not be permitted, nor would clothing and accessories with inappropriate messages or images.
Uniforms of sports teams and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps or other organized activities can be worn when supported by a sponsor.
Current dress code
Cape’s dress code allows for skirts and shorts, but says, “Bathing suits and short shorts are not permitted.”
Like the proposed guidelines, the current dress code nixes bare midriffs and says top and bottom garments must overlap.
The dress code prohibits bedroom slippers and pajamas but does not include flip flops. It is now recommended that students wear belts, but that is not required. It would be in the new guidelines.
The present dress code says low cut blouses, spaghetti straps or “any inappropriate revealing wear are not permitted,” but doesn’t offer defining guidelines.
The board will discuss the proposed dress code changes when it meets next at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 8 at Mariner Middle School.
Contact Leah Hoenen at leah@capegazette.com
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