SPRINGDALE — Students at Springdale High School will no longer be able to wear sleeveless tops once they go back to school in August.
AT A GLANCE
Dress Codes
Springdale High School's new dress code includes:
No hats
No bare midriffs or revealing clothing
Shorts and skirts must be one inch below fingertips or longer
No clothing promoting alcohol, drugs or derogatory comments
Tops must have at least a cap sleeve
Har-Ber High School's dress code includes:
No hats
No bare midriffs or revealing clothing
No clothing promoting alcohol, drugs or derogatory comments
No sunglasses without a note from a doctor
Shorts and skirts must be fingertip length or longer
The dress code policy at the high school previously stated males couldn't wear sleeveless tops but females could if the straps were at least three inches wide, said Pete Joenks, school principal. The policy was changed to require all students have at least a cap sleeve on their shirts. This applies the rule to all students instead of just males, he said.
The new policy at Springdale High School has one exception. It states athletic uniforms don't have to follow the rule about sleeves, Joenks said. Most of the athletic uniforms do have sleeves and are usually only worn on campus during game days.
Springdale High School officials posted an update on the school’s Facebook page Monday to notify students and parents about the policy change. This sparked a debate in the comments section of the post about the fairness of the new policy. Thirty-six comments were posted on the update from Monday to Wednesday.
Most of the debate on Facebook centered on athletes being an exception to the new policy. Some people commented it's unfair for athletes to be allowed to disregard the rule. Others said uniforms worn by athletes are designed to be appropriate for the sport they are participating in and the exception makes sense.
Joenks said he isn’t sure if those who commented on the post were students or parents. He said he's sorry some people feel the new policy is unfair.
“Those uniforms are designed to help performance, and they are school uniforms,” he said.
Springdale High School’s cheer uniforms don’t have sleeves. Modifying or changing the uniforms to comply with the new policy would be expensive, said Allison Scott, parent of a Springdale High School cheerleader. She thinks the policy is fair because cheerleaders tend to wear jackets and pants when the weather is cooler.
School officials are also trying to promote a dress code that better reflects professional attire, Joenks said. Some styles of dress can distract students from learning. Many workplaces also have dress codes to keep employees focused on work, he said.
Hats aren't allowed to be worn indoors at Springdale High School, Joenks said. It would be easy without this rule for a student to wear a funny hat in class, which could distract other students from the lesson being taught.
“The main goal of this school is to educate our students,” he said.
Dress codes are a way to keep inappropriate clothing out of schools, said E.C. Walker, interim executive director for the Arkansas Education Association.
“Schools have to reflect the values of the community,” he said.
Har-Ber High School’s policy for sleeves is shoulder straps must be the width of an identification card, according to the school’s 2012-13 student handbook. A message left for Danny Brackett, principal, at the school wasn't returned by 5 p.m. Friday.
Joenks said administrators will introduce the policy to students during an assembly at the beginning of the school year. Students who don’t follow the new rule will be called into the office to speak with an assistant principal about the importance of dressing appropriately.