Students handle dress codes

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While dress codes are in place at various area schools, some school officials say they don’t usually have a problem enforcing them.

Over the years at Belfield Public School, students and staff have worked to establish a culture of good taste, said secondary principal Jeff Lamprecht.

“So many important traditional values, ranging from clothing to language are challenged by today’s world-wide ‘forces of fashion,’” Lamprecht said. “Yet, a majority of our students remain convicted to standards of modesty and maturity.”

Belfield’s school dress code does not allow for apparel “containing direct or innuendo reference to sex, drugs, profanity, disruptive gang association, hatred, alcohol or tobacco.”

No caps, hoods or other forms of head gear may be worn during the school day without prior administrative consent, according to the code.

Lamprecht said when the few issues with students’ dress occur, there are rarely “repeat offenders.”

Few issues arise at Hagen Junior High in Dickinson as well, said Perry Braunagel, Hagen principal.

“I’d say most of the time, if we deal with anything, it’s taken care of immediately and we have different T-shirts, new ones that we borrow to them if we need to,” Braunagel said. “The low-hanging pants thing, we still deal with that, but I think it’s going away.”

Hagen’s dress code policy states: “Clothing judged to be disruptive to the education process or a safety issue will be dealt with by the administration. This may include too-short, too-tight, and too-bare attire.”

Shorts and skirts must be longer than mid-thigh and shoulder straps must be at least two inches wide, according to the code.

Braunagel said inappropriate messages on shirts and low-hanging pants are the more common items dealt with at Hagen.

Foster Leiss, 14, a student at Hagen, said he knows about the dress code and said he makes sure the jeans he’s putting on in the morning do not have holes in them.

“I agree with some of it,” Foster said, referring to the school’s dress code.

Coordinated dress is required at Dickinson Catholic Schools Trinity elementary schools, said Sister Dorothy Zeller, Dickinson Catholic Schools superintendent.

Elementary students can wear selected items, such as khaki pants and polo shirts.

At the high school, students may not wear jeans unless it’s a jeans day, she added.

“On other days, they may wear jeans if they’re also wearing a Trinity-issued top, T-shirt or sweatshirt,” Zeller said. “It would be a very particular day that they would be allowed to wear sweats.”

Shorts are allowed during hot weather, but must be within a few inches of the knee, she said.

Zeller said there are usually at least some circumstances where students forget and are asked to change.

The dress code at Richardton-Taylor High School allows for spaghetti strapped or strapless tops, but they must be covered by a shirt or blazer.

“Our boys are pretty good, I’ve talked to other schools and they’re wearing the pants that are too low and that sort of thing,” said Russell Ziegler, Richardton-Taylor High School principal. “I’ve been here three years and the past administrators have been so strict with the dress code that I have hardly any problems. The kids already know what’s expected.”

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