Document text
Photo by Jim Craven Kate Parker-Shames, right, says she and other leadership students at Ashland High School are trying to work out a new student dress code. School officials called for change after students began showing up in more revealing outfits this fall. How much to bare Ashland considers tougher dress code By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- So many students at Ashland High School have been sent to the administration office this fall for wearing the season's barely there fashions, one assistant principal stocks T-shirts to cover up the under-clad girls. "Things you can see through or don't leave much to the imagination -- that's been the greatest concern among teachers and even kids," said Principal Julie Reynolds. "One student told me, `I don't know where to look when I'm working with my lab partner. At the ceiling?"' Or as assistant principal Jerry Hauck said: "The way some of these girls dress is tough on the boys." To avoid embarrassing the young women and the teachers and students who are uncomfortable around them, Ashland High School is considering toughening up its dress code. The code already bans clothing that carries alcohol, drug or tobacco symbols, as well as wearing underwear as outerwear. A new policy could spell out steps teachers could take if they are uncomfortable with a student's attire, said Kate Parker-Shames, a student in the school's leadership class, which is preparing a draft for an updated dress code. It also could prohibit "revealing" clothing. But before any changes are made, students are being asked in class for written comments and several student forums are being held. Other high schools, such as those in Medford, already ban "excessive bareness." Ashland has always avoided getting too specific in its dress code policies. But this year, the problem seems to have gotten worse, Reynolds said. Teachers -- uneasy with the revealing garb -- are sending them to the office at the rate of about one a week. The school is considering tougher rules so being asked to change doesn't unnecessarily or arbitrarily embarrass girls. In drafting an expanded dress code, the school's leadership class is looking at ways to balance student freedom in dress with other students' rights to get an education without being beguiled by bare bellies. "People are really scared about the issue of a dress code and not being able to express themselves," said Parker-Shames. "But the place I say `no, it's no longer a right' is when it interferes with other people's education. "It's wrong if people feel they aren't getting the best education possible because of being distracted." Around campus, the thought of a stricter dress code got mixed reaction. "I want to wear what I want to wear," said Jenny Pokorny, a sophomore. "A dress code ... it crimps my style." One of Pokorny's friends was sent to the administration office recently because her black bra showed through her white shirt. "They made her go home and change -- I thought it was stupid," Pokorny said. "If their parents let them out of the house like that, I don't see it's the school's job to make them change." Shanna Hill, a junior, said a dress code wouldn't solve the age-old problem of boys seeing girls as sex objects. "Male attitudes toward women is a societal problem," she said. "Leaving the choice up to the students' discretion is better. ... It gives students a sense of responsibility for their own actions." Many others, though, could see reason behind new rules. They said it's just not right to wear tube tops that show every curve of the breast and skirts so short they flash bits of backside. "Some things people wear get the wrong idea across," said Diandra Miller, a freshman. "It's a bad image for the school." Principal Reynolds said she hopes student comments and forums will give the administration the best idea about where to draw the line. "We want the kids to tell us what's reasonable and fair," she said. "And still maintain style and individuality and the fashions of the times." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA