Seventeen parents attended the meeting - our highest turnout
so far!
CVCS students were winners at the County Spelling Bee and the regional Science Olympiad. Congratulations! One parent asked whether it was still possible to join the team, but since the state competition is just a couple of weeks away and the students have been working on their events for many weeks, it seems new team members will have to wait until next year.
Student Council fundraising pizza sale tomorrow at lunch.
Ms. Karen Bailey-Bowman, who is the CVCS third-grade teacher and represents the teachers on the Governing Council, described the background of the policy. Before this year's dress policy was implemented, there were numerous problems enforcing dress details such as shorts length, strap width, bagginess, etc. The primary purpose of the new code was to avoid ambiguous definitions, and also to ensure a neat, presentable appearance for all students. To help with expenses, teachers and some parents have made donations to a fund to buy school clothes for families with financial hardship, and there is also a clothing bank which is available to supply free used clothes and for spares (when a child comes to school in clothing that doesn't meet the code).
Ms. Nutt noted that she sees far fewer students in her office for disciplinary reasons, many of which in the past originated with clothing. Ms. Bailey-Bowman commented that the teachers now spend far less time dealing with dress-code enforcement problems, especially in middle school, which means there is more time spent on teaching/learning. The teachers definitely want to continue the current dress policy, but are agreeable to making a few changes such as adding striped shirts and possibly plaid if parents feel it should be acceptable. It is also possible that the school may obtain and resell polo shirts with a school crest, which would become the only acceptable logo. In terms of footwear, floppy sandals (e.g. flip-flops or others without heel straps) are not allowed due to safety considerations, but otherwise there is currently no defined policy.
Parents offered a number of comments. In general those present were happy with the policy. Positive reactions included the fact that it is much easier for their children to get going in the morning, and they were pleased to hear that it has significantly reduced distractions in the classroom; parents definitely agreed that the less time teachers have to spend policing students' clothing, the better. A few parents expressed concern about the degree of conformity within the school that the policy forces; most would like to see an increased range of colors allowed for pants, as well as adding stripes, plaid, and possibly other patterned shirts (e.g. flowers or paisley). Some parents - especially of boys - have found that dress-code pants are generally not as durable as jeans. Other concerns included the fact that a change was made to the policy partway through the year (to allow denim pants as long as they aren't blue-jeans) but that this was not clearly communicated to parents; several of those present had not heard of this change before.
The fact that CVCS is currently the only Socorro school with this type of policy was seen as both positive and negative: on the one hand it is distinctive, which some people liked; and on the other hand it sets us apart, which other people see as a concern generally. Ms. Nutt told us that the Socorro school district is very interested in our experience, and that they may consider implementing something similar for other schools, so this may not be an issue either way in future.
Blue-jeans were the main point of contention. For many students jeans are by far their favorite item of clothing, and this is the prohibition they most often complain about. However, teachers and a number of parents feel very strongly that they present a big opportunity for clothing competition (something that many of us have unpleasant memories of) and that they are not as neat in appearance as the pants that the policy currently permits. Even black denim looks tidier than blue-jeans.
Students also notice when teachers dress differently. Ms. Nutt stated that teachers are supposed to dress per the policy "or better". They are allowed to wear patterns, but are not supposed to wear blue-jeans. For the most part this approach is being followed, and she is working on the rare exceptions. A few parents were concerned about students perceiving a double standard, but most did not see it as a problem.
Recommendations from a majority of parents can be summarized as:
There was also a brief discussion about days when the new dress policy would not apply. So far this has been limited to photo days. Other possibilities include fundraisers or simply an occasional declared day off. The old dress policy would still be in effect as a minimum. The school administration and teachers will consider this.
Tuesday, March 7, 2006, at 6:30 p.m.