VISD's dress code: What's the decision?
By RUBI REYES •
Originally published July 13, 2009 at 10:58 p.m., updated July 14, 2009 at 12:55 p.m.
AGENDA ITEMS
Discuss and Take Action
On out-of-district tuition rate for the 2009-10 school year.
On Student Code of Conduct for the 2009-10 school year.
Consider recommended contracts for award: 1) athletic equipment and supplies, 2) science lab equipment and ...
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AGENDA ITEMS
Discuss and Take Action
On out-of-district tuition rate for the 2009-10 school year.
On Student Code of Conduct for the 2009-10 school year.
Consider recommended contracts for award: 1) athletic equipment and supplies, 2) science lab equipment and supplies, 3) substance abuse screening services
The Victoria school board meets at 6 p.m. every third Thursday of the month at the Administration Building, 102 Profit Drive.
Linda Schuenemann has only one problem with the Victoria school district's current dress code.
"The current dress code would be effective if it was consistently and fairly enforced," Schuenemann, a parent, said.
The district distributed a survey in late January to solicit input about the dress code from parents, students, faculty and community members.
Of the 2,620 people who responded online or by paper survey:
966 were parents.
798 were students.
429 were teachers.
856 were listed as "other."
Asked if the dress code affects student achievement, 525 parents said yes.
When teachers stop teaching to write a pass to the office or a referral so students will be in compliance, the dress code impacts student achievement, Schuenemann said.
"Parents need to be the first enforcers of the dress code because when the teachers have to stop, it takes away from instruction time," she said.
The majority of parents and all survey takers said consistent enforcement of the dress code is a must.
"I think if they enforce it past the first day of school, students will listen," Schuenemann said.
The second most popular dress code choice among parents was standardized dress, which would require all students to wear tucked-in polo shirts with jeans, a belt and closed-toe shoes.
At the school district's June workshop, the board agreed to modify and enforce the code in place. Board Vice President Tami Keeling said they should try to get the dress code as close to standardized as possible.
Board President Lou Svetlik said, "Right now nothing is out of the question."
The board will review the survey results and make a choice that provides the best learning environment, he added.
Schuenemann's son, Samuel, agrees with his mother that the current dress code needs to be enforced. If the district moves to a standardized dress code, he would not mind - so long as students don't have to tuck in their shirts, he said.
"It wouldn't bother me if they had the rule, but I wouldn't tuck in my shirt," Samuel said.
The board will review the dress code at its 6 p.m. meeting on Thursday.
