Efforts by Santa Ana Unified to restore uniformity to a patchwork of inconsistent and occasionally stringent dress code policies across the district is being met with resistance and even anger by teachers at one of the city’s top schools, according to the O.C. Register.
District trustees say some of the different campus dress codes were not in keeping with the state Education Code, and that parents are complaining to them about students being pulled from class for minor violations, such as not wearing a belt.
A fundamental school teacher I know had this to say about the sudden change in the SAUSD’s approach to dress codes:
We were never given a reason for this abrupt change and since the majority of our students are on a waiver from the dress code, the alternate student dress code has always applied. This dress code was developed by the staff and parents and now it doesn’t exist.
The district mandated that a letter be sent home and within two days the kids started wearing anything they want to wear.
This is not an issue for the majority of the schools because their students wear uniforms. It is an issue at the fundamental schools because so many of those parents sign waivers, in fact, we have a very small percentage of kids who are not on a waiver.
Girls are wearing sandals and tank tops, cut off jean shorts and the school looks totally different. The behavior has changed drastically almost overnight. We even had a student pull the fire drill alarm today, something that hasn’t happened in probably ten years.
What do you think? Did the SAUSD blow it again?
We should have kept it the way it has always been for years!Teacher and schools having more rights than the students.Being able to teach with a Iron fist,students respecting,and school still having the to discipline as needed.
Please restore the old dress code that we have had for years. It’s working, hence there’s no reason to change it. The children look wonderful in their uniform. They should concentrate on studying rather than talking/showing what they’re wearing. Low income reason is not justifiable. I actually save more with uniform than buying fashionable clothing.
The old dress code should have been kept forever. Please restore it to the way it was. It was working fine, hence there is no reason to abandon it. I actually save more with buying uniform than fashionable clothing. The children look wonderful in uniform. My children love their uniform and will continue to wear it. Many thanks to the teachers at Mac Arthur Fundamental School for your effort to keep it working. We really appreciate your hard work.
The correlation between performance and dress code should not be ignored. If teachers came to school in sweat pants and flip flops, what would that say about them? We need the dress code back. The students’ attitude toward school is more professional when there is a dress code. Lately, it’s a very different attitude. The change was made based on an interpretation of the dress code. The board should have asked the parents and teachers what they thought the interpretation of the dresscode was before making such a drastic call. I don’t think girls wearing short-shorts and clothes that are too tight was thought about before the change.
Typical for this district. They rarely bother asking parents or teachers for their opinion.