Photo by Doug Clark
Sampson County Schools superintendent Dr. Ethan Lenker gives his recommendation — to find a better way to enforce the current dress code instead of going to standardized dress.
The move comes after months of meetings with teachers, administrators, students and parents about the issue.
Those efforts include district-by-district informational meeting with parents, students and administration to explain, in detail, exactly what and the Sampson County Board of Education is envisioning in the dress code during the 2009-10 school year.
“For the last several months, all of the board members and myself have been to numerous parent meetings, and we have met with different committees, as well as different groups of parents and students,” said Lenker Monday. “The one thing that we kept hearing in those meetings was how to make the dress policy we have now more enforceable and following through with that. We also had the opportunity for board members to actually visit other systems and look at those policies and how they are enforced. I think at this point, it might be in our best interest to look at our dress policy and tweak that policy and instead of going to a standardized dress, just go to a stronger dress code ... that would be my recommendation.”
Lenker then suggested that he work on the (current) policy and then bring it back during the February meeting for the board to review.
“After the board goes through it, we can bring in some more people to come in and look at it,” said Lenker. “Then have a formal introduction in March with an adoption of it before the kids get out of school this year.”
“I support that wholeheartedly,” said board member Doris Warren.
“We have looked at this ‘standardized’ policy and we heard parents say that the board had already made its mind up,” said Lenker, “but that was way off base. Because we were truly trying to investigate what would be best for the system and there is a lot of support for standardized dress ... much more than 50 percent. Maybe that is something that still could come down. Maybe it (standardized dress) is just a year and a half away. But I think this is an opportunity for us to look at our current dress code policy, get a good, enforceable policy that we are all happy with and the board is in full support of and get word to our principals about what I expect and we can move forward in that direction. We are not necessarily taking standardized dress away by any means, but by looking at it and seeing our other options.”
“I feel like the board needs to make sure we support you wholeheartedly,” said board member G.H. Wilson. “We have got to support you 100 percent.”
Warren said that because of the comments she heard from parents, she felt like the board needed to pay more attention to the code.
“I think that was one of the biggest consistent thing we heard was, are we enforcing what we already have?” agreed Lenker. “Whether we were or not, now we can put in a good solid policy and put the research into it, we can have a nice, solid policy in place before next year so parents could have plenty of time to know about it.”
“Not only are we going to need the personnel in Sampson County Schools,” noted Warren, “but we are going to need the parental and student support as well. I really think that we can make it happen.”
“The key to it is talking to the parents,” said Lenker. “Because we did see a lot of parents who wanted the standardized dress. But making a stronger policy and enforcing it, is a small step in that direction.”
The board unanimously approved for Lenker to work on the system’s current policy and to have a draft ready for board member to read at February’s monthly meeting.
“I would like to thank the superintendent for all of his hard work and effort,” said chairman Glenn Tart. “We had a lot of people saying that the board had made up its mind on this issue and it wasn’t. But in all of it, we have opened the communication with parents and started a dialect with them and gave the parents an opportunity to share their thoughts with us and that is what it is all about.”
To reach Doug Clark call (910) 592-8137 ext. 139 or send email to sisports@intrstar.net.
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