"Come

dressed to learn." That's the message sent

to parents and students Monday night by Fayette

County school superintendent Dr. John DeCotis

following approval of a dress code that allows

shirts to remain untucked, minus belts.

"How

will a dress code make schools safer? It says

students are serious about learning,"

DeCotis added. He explained that initial

proposals made by the Safety Task Force included

tucking in shirts and wearing belts to prevent

contraband such as cigarettes and weapons from

making their way into schools. Book bags will be

allowed to and from school, but must be placed in

lockers during class time. Additional lockers

have been added at the high schools.

The

board approved the revised recommendations

unanimously, following a recap of the initiatives

discussed at length by Safety Task Force

coordinator Wayne Robinson, director of secondary

school operations. "Our purpose was obvious;

to provide the safest environment possible for

our students," Robinson said.

The

task force focused on preventive strategies,

fine-tuning a safety crisis plan and dress code,

and coordinating operations with law enforcement

and emergency medical personnel. Altogether,

Robinson said he received about 250 e-mails,

letters and calls from parents and students

concerning the plan, with 90 percent pinpointing

the dress code as a key element of their

concerns.

"It's

a shame that the dress code became the most

important thing," Robinson said.

Some

of the ways administrators are working to make

schools safer this year include providing all

school personnel with photo identification

badges, preparing emergency flip charts for every

school to refer to in crisis, equipping schools

with emergency kits plus recommending

surveillance equipment such as digital cameras

installed at entrances, and hand-held walkie

talkies for teachers.

On

the preventive side, more emphasis will be placed

on teaching conflict resolution, identifying

students early on who have problem behavior and

developing peer mediation groups within the

schools.

The

dress code allows students to wear pants, shorts

and slacks which are appropriate in size and fit

and worn at the natural waistline. The items must

be in good repair with no holes. For safety's

sake, they must not touch the floor. Long

trenchcoats are prohibited. Uniforms can be an

option if agreed upon by each school. Faculty

members may wear jeans at the discretion of their

principals.

Board

chairman Debbie Condon said she was pleased with

the revised policy and noted that the staff had

listened to public input and responded.

The

biggest thing, the board agreed, is enforcing the

dress code.

The

board also approved changes to the student code

of conduct, tightening the language in areas such

as drug possession and paraphernalia so the rules

can withstand legal challenges, and making the

wording more concise and understandable,

according to Robinson. The code also includes a

definition and penalty for "bullying."

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