When they go back to school this fall, Milford students might have to double-check their wardrobes.
The district school board has approved a new, stricter dress code for students, but that’s not all. According to Superintendent Sharon Kanter, district officials are considering requiring school uniforms starting in the 2010-2011 school year.
“We’re trying to get the students to recognize that school is their job,” Milford High School Principal Phyllis Kohel said. “When you go to your job, you have to dress appropriately.”
The new policy prohibits sleeveless shirts or blouses and “scooped, low-cut or revealing necklines,” in addition to a continuing rule against bare midriffs and shorts or skirts that end above the knee, offensive writing or images and fashion accessories are styles that could be gang insignia.
“It’s going to be odd seeing no cleavage,” MHS junior Michael Pyne said. “That’s going to be the biggest change.”
He said students of both genders push the boundaries of the dress code, and will probably do the same with the new rules.
“There probably won’t be a change in the attire for a while, until the school shows they’re serious about enforcing it,” Pyne said.
Students who break the rule will be disciplined, and their parents might have to bring a set of replacement clothes to school if the violation is offensive enough.
“In your first year, there are going to be those who kind of push the limit, who will go to the boundary,” said Dan Curry, superintendent, of Lake Forest School District, which started its own uniform policy in 2006.
Depending on how this year goes, the new dress code could turn into bona-fide school uniforms for all Milford students, but that idea is still in the earliest stages, administrators said.
“There is a long way to go with this, and we haven’t made up our minds either way,” Kanter said.
Kanter said she is planning a year-long review of the idea, with input from everyone involved with the schools.
“We’re going to vet it through the community,” Kanter said. “There will be a committee with students, parents, teachers and administrators, we’ll have public meetings to discuss it. We won’t just talk among ourselves and make a decision.”
Milford officials first floated the idea of uniforms in 2005, shortly after the Woodbridge School District started its own, but ultimately decided against the idea.
“We decided that we wanted to give our students as much personal choice in their appearance as we could,” Kohel said.
Curry said it was hard for his district to find a balance that allowed students some individuality in their clothing.
“The first year it was rough. Comparing notes with others, we tried to make a number of modifications to make it more palatable for the kids,” he said.
The district eventually expanded the colors students are allowed to wear and dropped a requirement to tuck in the uniform shirts.
“You can still look down the hallway and see a variety of kids dressed in a variety of ways,” Curry said.
Kohel said that whether or not the district takes the step to full uniforms, the new dress code policy was necessary.
“There were so many inconsistencies in our policy that it needed this, no matter what our other plans are,” she said. “We’re looking for more consistency in the way students dress and present themselves,” Kohel said.
Milford, Del. —
