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A plan to ban T-shirts in Cape Henlopen schools is off the table. Five of seven board members said enforcing the current dress code is the way to go, so talk of a new code is hushed for the time being.
But board member Spencer Brittingham, who supported the discipline dress code proposed in April by Superintendent George Stone, said he will continue to bring up the idea of a revised dress code as long as he is on the board..
Parent Sandi Minard spoke at the board meeting and said every concern of Brittingham’s, Coveleski’s and Stone’s is addressed in the current dress code. If the dress code is changed, “Mr. Yore will still have to stand at the door and tell students to take off that hat and put away that bandanna,” Minard said. “The only thing missing from this policy is enforcement,” she told the board.
Stone’s draft of a new dress code would have excluded jeans, flip-flops, T-shirts and hoodies from the list of clothes students could wear to school. Brittingham brought an updated version of the proposal to the meeting – one allowing jeans and flip-flops, as well as T-shirts, sweat pants and hoodies so long as they were Cape apparel.
Cape Henlopen High School junior Paul Dumigan, clad in shorts, a Hurley T-shirt and flip-flops, told the board, “This is what I’d wear in everyday life. How would this distract you from being able to teach me?”
A handful of students were in attendance and showed their opposition to dress code adjustments with strong applause for Minard’s speech – and for board members who spoke against them.
Board member Gary Wray called for a survey of students, parents, teachers and administrators before the board considers dress code changes again. He said those who had contacted him were “dead set” against changing the district’s code.
Prettyman agreed. He said it is up to parents to know their children and send them properly dressed to school. “We can’t take their creativity away,” he said of the students.
Prettyman said, “I don’t see how what you’re wearing has to do with the knowledge you’re receiving.”
“I can’t believe how people can’t see how appropriate dress translates into better scores and better discipline in our schools,” Brittingham said following the meeting.
Board member Allan Redden has previously said the current dress code would work if it were reinforced. “I don’t see the point in discussing a policy when only two of the board members are interested in changing it,” he said.
Brittingham left the meeting frustrated. “It is appalling that this board is swayed by a few community members who speak against an issue even though the majority of the community feels the opposite way,” he said. Only the people opposed to the changes speak out, he said.
“The building administration should be held accountable to see what’s on the books,” Prettyman said.
But Stone said the policy is illogical. He suggested schools have a “dress check” announced in first period classes as a matter of routine.
“There is something to be said for work ethic, and that includes appearance,” he said.
Cape Henlopen High School Principal John Yore has a different take. “If I had to choose between a student in jeans and a collared shirt who is respectful, motivated and hard working and a student in dress clothes and a tie who is belligerent and disrespectful, I’d prefer the student in jeans,” Yore said.
Yore said it’s more about creating a respectful and civil environment than focusing on attire.
“Putting on a tie doesn’t necessarily make you respectful,” said Yore.
Wray and board President Stell Parker Selby agreed that the existing code must be enforced.
Board member Camilla Conlon said the proposed dress code update was over-the-top. “I’m not opposed to notching it up a little. I see a lot of kids who are, in my opinion, not appropriately dressed and within the current dress code. But, at least 80 percent of the kids in the high school are dressed just fine,” Conlon said.
And Yore said the district’s dress code fails to define items such as spaghetti strap tops, short shorts and “inappropriate revealing wear.” Getting students to school dressed appropriately requires a partnership with parents, Yore said. “I don’t buy clothes for these kids,” he said.
Selby cautioned against punishing bad dressers by kicking them out of school. “Students need to be in that school all the time,” she said. Instead, she suggested some schools keep a supply of extra clothes in the office. The dress code needs to be enforced strongly and consistently, she said.
Brittingham said the new code is needed to ensure students get the most out of their classroom hours. “Certain dress is a distraction in the classroom,” he said.
Prettyman disagreed. “I’ve been in all the schools all the time and I’ve not seen one where dress is a distraction,” he said.
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