By Amanda Amsel
Staff Writer
Reynoldsburg High School junior Darian Herron has asked the school board to consider revising the student dress code.
“I have some models here with me and we are all wearing clothes that are a violation of the dress code,” Herron said at the Feb. 16 Reynoldsburg Board of Education meeting. “I think you would agree that we all look presentable. What I’m asking today is that we get a team together and edit this dress code. While I understand the dress code policy is important, I feel some of our dress code makes no sense.”
Herron questioned why purple, green and a variety of other colored jeans are ok to wear, but blue jeans are not. Also, why students must wear some type of collared shirt and why the district sells hoodies with school logos on it, but doesn’t allow students to wear them to school.
“We can’t even show school pride at school because we can’t wear the hoodies you are selling us,” Herron said.
While several of the board members understood Herron and other students’ frustration, they said the rules were put into motion for a reason.
“There is always room for improvement,” said board member Joe Begeny. “I do have to say there are behind the scenes reasons for this that you may not be aware of.”
Superintendent Tina Thomas-Manning said that seven years ago, when the current dress code was revised, students did have a say in what they could and couldn’t wear. However, Herron said that seven years was a long time ago and the dress code is outdated and needs to be updated.
The board did agree to discuss the dress code further.
Other school news
•The district has improved its intervention program, as well as improved the discipline program. The intervention program now reduces the amount of the hours students are pulled from their classrooms and gives them high level one-on-one help and then returns them to their classroom.
The discipline program has been revamped and is now called the School Wide Positive Behavior Plan. According to Slate Ridge Elementary School Administrative Intern Katie Buyers, this plan has proved to be a success with 262 incidents last year and only 114 incidents in 2015-16. The school is now doing in school suspensions when possible, as well as having in school consequences so students will be in school as much as possible.
•Board member Debbie Dunlap discussed the working relationship with the district and the city of Reynoldsburg.
“We did have a safety and security incident in the district recently, so this continued collaboration is important,” Dunlap said.
•Thomas-Manning highlighted the award the district’s food services program recently won. The program was named 11th in the county for school food excellence by Food Service Director Magazine.
