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One is sent home for a too-short skirt as principals remind them what they cannot wear.
By KENT FISCHER
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 4, 2000
With the Pasco County School Board demanding schools crack down on students violating the district's dress code, principals have begun reminding teachers that they, too, have to watch what they wear.
Administrators discussed teacher attire at a districtwide meeting Aug. 23, and principals, in turn, met with their faculties. Almost immediately, phones at the teachers union office began to ring, union president Lynne Webb said.
A teacher at Cotee River Elementary was sent home Aug. 24 to change after the principal deemed her skirt was too short, even though the teacher reportedly had worn the skirt to school several times over the years. Another principal forbade teachers from wearing sneakers, Webb said.
"We're hearing across the county that in the last week, principals have begun telling teachers that they can't wear this or that," Webb said. "If there's a day or two where they come in wearing blue jeans, they shouldn't be made to feel like their judgment isn't trusted."
Superintendent John Long talked with Webb about the issue on Wednesday. He said the Aug. 23 meeting with principals wasn't intended to begin a crackdown on teacher attire. It was part of an annual back-to-school meeting, which usually covers the issue of teacher dress, he said.
On Thursday, Long sent a letter to principals telling them that he doesn't expect them to create a new dress code for teachers. The letter does state that, at the very least, teachers should adhere to the district's high school student dress code.
The high school dress code bans tank tops and spandex and states that all skirts must be no shorter than four inches above the knee. The student policy also prohibits flip-flops, slippers, shower sandals, low-cut blouses or any clothing that allows underwear to show through.
Long said that the vast majority of teachers come to school each day dressed professionally. A couple of times each school year a teacher will wear something that a principal deems inappropriate, he said, and that principals need to be given the leeway to make those calls. Long also said, however, that he has no desire for principals to become "fashion police."
"We talk about this every year," Long said. "All I'm asking is that teachers and administrators serve as role models."
Webb said she agrees that teachers should be role models and should dress professionally. On the other hand, she said, "they can also be good role models and still wear sneakers or open-toed sandals."