Beginning immediately students attending Duncanville schools will have a new standard of dress after the Board of Trustees voted 4-2 to change the policy.
“This is not a matter of ‘who wins’,” Board President Marlies Peregory said in a meeting earlier this month. “The purpose of looking at this is to make it more simplistic – to get the kids to get dressed, put on a pair of jeans and a spirit shirt , come to class, sit down and get to business.”
The board voted at their regular scheduled meeting last night to make changes to the dress code. A comparison of the former code and the new code can be found here.
“I have been in districts where they had the dress code like we had last year and I have been in some that have a modesty code,” Board Member Elijah Granger said. “I have seen both positive and negative results with both. I have faith in out students and believe they will do the right thing.”
Parent Shaunna Kile addressed the school board with concerns from students regarding the approval of the dress code.
“I am hearing from some students that if the new code is passed, the rioters will feel they got their way,” Kile said. “They are also concerned that this is a big change this close to the start of school.”
Granger along with other boards members were very clear that the policy has been under review for several years and has nothing to do with the negative choices made by a group of students in May.
“This is not about being forced to make a change,” Granger said. “This is something this board has been considering for at least five years now.”
While the majority of the board was in favor of the change, there were two apposed to the new policy because of the timing of the change.
“I can not in good faith vote for this policy right now,” board member Carla Fahey said. “If we were voting on it for the 2014-15 year I may feel differently.”
The new policy will begin immediately. The full approved dress code can be found here.
