A Times Editorial

Dress code is not schools' most pressing problem

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 5, 2000

The Pasco School Board set aside school crowding, academic achievement, student discipline and other pressing matters this week for its annual headline-grabbing discussion about something of vital import: what kids wear to class.

Board members repeated the rhetoric about student rebellion and their authoritative threats of banning shorts from a year ago. But the board, at a workshop Tuesday, agreed merely to formalize in writing the rules already in place. It is an appropriate action compared with the more heavy-handed alternative.

The school dress code, included in the district's code of student conduct given to each child in the fall, now reads, "Students shall wear adequate, modest clothing of such style and design as shall be consistent with community standards as determined by the school principal."

It prohibits bikini and tank tops, Spandex clothing, short skirts and short shorts, bare midriffs and see-through clothing. "Skirts and dresses of a modest length are acceptable apparel."

But in an era of Ally McBeal hemlines, the School Board now wants to define "modest" as four inches above the knee, or so-called fingertip length. That is, skirts can be no higher than the tips of the fingers when the person stands straight up with her arms and hands extended downward.

Low-cut tops are prohibited, and blouses and shirts must be long enough to be tucked in and remain tucked in during the course of a school day. Enforcement of the rules, after final adoption, falls to school principals.

Don't expect principals to chase after students with rulers in hand. Most already use the fingertip measure.

One casualty of the dress code is the cheerleader uniform. Purposely kept short to allow cheerleaders to safely perform gymnastic maneuvers, the uniforms will be prohibited in classrooms because the skirts are more than 4 inches above the knee.

Some might suggest it is a double standard for schools to provide uniforms for teenage girls that are deemed appropriate to wear in front of hundreds of people at sporting events, but are considered too revealing for a classroom full of 25 students. But cheerleaders shouldn't feel singled out. Other athletes -- cross-country, track and swim team members, for instance -- are precluded from attending class in their competitive garb.

Students wearing inappropriate clothing can be sent home for the day or made to change into more demure clothing if it is available. Board member Kathleen Wolf said facetiously the easiest way to enforce the rules is to provide "really ugly" clothing for students to wear as an alternative.

Her attitude might be the most appropriate in this matter. Dressing up the education environment in Pasco schools extends beyond the clothes on your back.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.