DISTRICT TO REVISE POLICY CONSISTENT STUDENT DRESS CODE SOUGHT.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Girls' pants stamped with handprints and ``bootylicious'' written on the seat and boys' boxer shorts hanging out of their baggy pants may be on the way out in the Lancaster School District.

An updated dress code is being proposed with two aims: regulate the latest fashion trends and provide new guidelines for schools seeking to impose a uniform dress code that limits pupils to particular clothing types and colors, like slacks or skirts and polo shirts in blue or white.

``Some of it is new. We are getting a little bit up to date with the kinds of things we face today,'' Assistant Superintendent Howard Sundberg said.

The Lancaster board will consider the policy at its meeting today.

The proposed policy bans more types of student clothing styles that have become fashionable of late.

``Clothing shall be sufficient to conceal undergarments at all times. See-through or fish-net fabrics, halter tops, off-the-shoulder or low-cut tops, bare midriffs, and skirts or shorts shorter than mid-thigh are prohibited,'' the policy states.

``Hair coloring is limited to naturally occurring shades. Spray-in hair color is not allowed,'' the policy states.

The policy also declares clothing, jewelry and personal items, such as backpacks and water bottles, ``shall be free of writing, pictures, or any other insignia which are crude, vulgar, profane, or sexually suggestive, ... or which advocate racial, ethnic or religious prejudice.''

The idea for the districtwide dress code came up this summer at a meeting of teachers union leaders and district administrators.

Teachers Association of Lancaster President Geri Hazelton said Monday the proposed policy does not go far enough.

``I want to see it across the district, that we adopt a uniform dress policy and that it's started across the district instead of being just at the sites,'' Hazelton said. ``Kids transfer from school to school. We will have a deluge of parents transferring children to a school that doesn't have it.''

Sundberg said state education law states that dress codes should originate from the school, not the district.

``The law is pretty specific, it's something that has to be handled by each school and their community,'' Sundberg said. ``It needs to be developed at the site to meet the specific needs of the site. It's done with the involvement of parents.''

The proposed policy outlines procedures to be followed by a school that wants to set up a uniform dress code and provides a way for parents to opt out of the requirement.

Parents must be given six months advance notice that the school is going to adopt a dress code and be provided with information on where to get uniform-type clothes.

The school ``will work closely with members of its local community to structure site-based procedures that are responsive to the community's specific needs,'' the policy states.

``The school would start with the school site council as parent representation, do a survey of parents at large, and see what kind of support it can garner,'' Superintendent Steve Gocke said. ``If there's alot of support, the school would give six months notice and start it when the new year starts.''

Three schools - Amargosa Creek and Park View middle schools and Linda Verde Elementary School - have dress codes that limit students to particular colors and types of shirts and pants.

New Vista Middle School has had its dress code since the campus opened five years ago. Park View has had one for about three years, and Linda Verde started this school year, officials said.

Having dress codes makes it easier for school administrators to identify outsiders on campus, and some parents like not having to buy huge wardrobes for their children, district officials said.

Dress standards also eliminate comparisons among peers as to who is wearing what, teachers said.

But some students might feel their ability to creatively express themselves through their clothes will be curbed, officials said.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com