LOTS OF DRESS CODE VIOLATIONS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Quartz Hill High School reported the most girls baring midriffs, boys wearing forbidden ball caps or sagging pants, and other violations of a new dress code that took effect in September.

Quartz Hill High students were cited for 541 dress code violations between September and December, registering most - 328 - in the first month of school.

``I think it's working well. It's a learning process. You've got to create the mind-set. The policy is not that much different,'' said Barbara Willibrand, assistant superintendent for student services. ``It's more uniform and consistent, and we are trying to be uniform and consistent in enforcement.''

Palmdale High School reported 313 dress code violations during the same four months; Lancaster High, 302; Antelope Valley High School, 268; Knight High School, 267; Desert Winds, 207; and Littlerock High, 102.

Highland did not list a total but said discipline referrals for dress code infractions were up by 224 over the same period in 2003-04, records show.

School board members asked for a report from each school on how they are implementing the new dress code after trustees said they noticed students out of compliance during visits to campuses.

Trustees adopted a new dress code policy in March 2004, which forbids baring bellybuttons and exposing underwear, among other things.

``We were seeing some problems. The typical stuff was midriffs, some sagging pants, so we wanted to know what the procedures are,'' trustee Al Beattie said.

``It's mostly girls. The majority of the tops they sell these days are short and dip down low in the front. The girls probably wear a jacket to school and when the weather warms up, they take it off,'' trustee Donita Winn said. ``You have low-riding jeans and short tops and before you know it, you've got several inches being exposed. There is baggy pants too. I'm not just picking on girls.''

The new policy replaced one that trustees said was vague, and differed between schools.

``We were looking for enforcement and consistency,'' Beattie said. ``It's much more readily enforceable now because it's simpler.''

The Quartz Hill High School report said the major violations of the dress code are ``nonschool baseball caps, males sagging their pants, and females with bare midriffs.''

``Students never cease to test the system. It's a good thing we love working with teenagers,'' the Lancaster High report said.

The new dress and grooming policy was drawn up with the help of a 15-member committee consisting of staff, community members, parents and students. Officials said the change was prompted by teen fashion trends and trustees' concerns about safety and security.

Board members cited as hazardous students who wear shoes four or five sizes too big and stuff rolled-up socks in the shoe toe and under the tongue of the shoe to make them fit.

They also noted that long shirts over baggy pants can conceal weapons.

In some instances, students leave home wearing one set of clothes and then change to another when they arrive at school, trustees said.

In 1999, trustees flirted with the idea of imposing a dress code similar to the one at Lancaster High School, which requires polo or Oxford shirts and trousers, shorts or skirts in its school colors of red, white and blue. But students were opposed to it.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com