No sagging pants, short skirts in fall - Schools & Education

No sagging pants, short skirts in fall

Board revises dress code, computer-use policies at meeting

Friday, Jun 27, 2008 - 12:25 AM

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HENRICO COUNTY SCHOOLS

By LISA CRUTCHFIELD

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Henrico County students can forget about wearing do-rags, trousers pulled down below their waists and short skirts. The School Board is watching.

At a work session yesterday, the board approved changes to the Code of Student Conduct for 2008-09 that prohibit that attire and other dress deemed inappropriate. The countywide dress code will be refined by individual schools, the board said.

School officials said that they also may consider implementing a school uniform policy.

Under the new dress standards, each school will be allowed to specify what is appropriate based on the student's age, grade level, stage of development and the school's facility.

Dress such as revealing clothing, clothing that exposes undergarments, pants, shorts or skirts not worn at the waist, headgear worn inside the building, apparel that conveys an inappropriate message, etc., is unacceptable.

The code of conduct manual is distributed to students at the beginning of the school year. Students and parents are required to sign that they have read the policies.

Henrico schools also will crack down on students who abuse computer privileges. The policy manual is being changed to reflect current trends in student behavior, an official said.

These include prohibiting students from using:

Proxy servers to bypass Internet filters.

USB storage devices to launch software and attempt to conceal one's identity.

Non-Henrico County Public School equipment connected to the school network.

Middle schoolers are loaned Apple laptop computers; high schoolers use Dell laptops.

Other changes to the code of student conduct include:

Prohibiting any substance that could be considered a weapon, such as Mace.

Defining assault to include verbal assault as well as physical.

Changing the definition of habitual offenders. They now are students who commit five or more (down from eight) violations of the code.

The board also approved a policy to define the responsibilities and qualifications of its superintendent and began to discuss the capital-improvement program.

The board approved a temporary transfer of $7,998,000 from the planned West Area Middle School to the Fairfield Middle School renovation project. It also awarded a $17,998,000 construction contract for the Fairfield project.

Also, the board officially agreed to raise the price of school lunches from $1.75 to $2.15 in response to rising food and transportation costs.
Contact Lisa Crutchfield at (804) 649-6362 or lcrutchfield@timesdispatch.com.

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