From baseball caps to short shirts, different county school districts take different approaches on student dress codes.
Athens City School District Superintendent Carl Martin said the district holds a fairly conservative student dress code policy for safety reasons.
There are 14 total guidelines, which include new rules prohibiting jewelry with spiky metal parts and wallet chains this school year, said Mike Meek, Athens High School principal.
Though no student previously have been injured as a result of the items, prohibiting them was a preventive measure to deter items that could cause physical harm, he said.
The school has not had any major enforcement problems, and students seem to understand why the new regulations are in place, Meek said. Confiscated items will be returned to students at the end of the day or to a parent, depending on the circumstances.
Athens dress code also includes stipulations regarding appropriate length of skirts and shorts
Our policy is a little subjective
but it should be Meek said.
Martin said it sometimes can be difficult to find clothing that meets the old definitions of modesty.
It is hard for kids to buy (appropriate) clothes because of the way they are manufactured he said.
Schools are forced to evolve with changing fashion trends, Meek said.
When students commit dress code violations, they must call home for a change of clothes. If they have to leave school to change clothes, they receive an unexcused absence.
Trimble High School takes a more liberal approach to its dress code, Principal John Abdella said. Only two sentences in the student handbook address the subject -specifically, clothing bearing profanity or vulgar or offensive messages is prohibited.
Any questionable outfits are dealt with in a relaxed manner, he said.
If you treat kids with respect
they will give it back to you
Abdella said.
Trimble students also are permitted to wear hats in school, while Athens students are prohibited from wearing them in the building.
If its not interfering with learning
who cares? Abdella said. Trimble students have similar economic backgrounds and often wear the same types of clothing, he said.
Though local public schools have dress codes, none of them require students to wear uniforms.
Ohio University sophomore Christina Stark said she loved wearing uniforms at her high school, Magnificat High School in Rocky River, a suburb of Cleveland.
You didn't have people picking on others because of their clothes
she said. In the morning
I could just roll out of bed and put on my uniform
The uniform consisted of a white polo shirt with embroidery of the school name, a blue skirt cut above the knee and optional sweater.
Students used their shoes as a means of self-expression, Stark said.
In college, the teachers focus more on learning and less on regulations, Stark said. Here
nobody really cares what you wear
she said.
