This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE. 2/12/04
One has to take his hat off to the Henley High Principal Jim Houk.
He has established some new dress rules at the high school in an effort to encourage more attention to learning.
He has put the kibosh on such things as pajama bottoms and trips to the bathrooms. The pajama bottom thing apparently is not limited to Henley.
Recently on a trip south we stopped at a fast food spot in Red Bluff and there were three students from the high school next to it. Two of them were girls and they were busy smoking. When they got up to mosey back to the school…they were wearing what I think were pajama pants.
The action is not without controversy.
Some pupils have complained that there is nothing wrong with wearing pajama pants….to which the Principal is quoted as saying “Once you get out of bed, you should probably put on your clothes.” The ban also includes such items as slippers.
Also….tardy slips are issues to those who interrupt class to make frequent trips to the bathroom. Students complained that only four minutes between classes oftentimes doesn’t give them enough time to visit the bathroom.
I’ve lived so long that I can well remember that the schools in my little North Dakota town forbid the wearing of overalls and short dresses. The high school had a special day that they called “Bums’ Day” and students could come dressed like bums……but for the one day.
I would imagine there will be some parents who may well challenge the rules and perhaps even take the case to the school board…or perhaps the courts. That’s the way things go these days. If all else fails….take it to a court….there you may find a sympathetic judge.
I can also well remember that the time was when the principal of one of our grade schools that I attended was well known for the whip that she….and she was built like a tackle in the NFL……often administered to unruly students. Only once was I threatened with that…..but escaped barely.
Students
today have a need ….a dire need….to get themselves educated and prepared to
take their place in the workaday world.
Lack of an adequate education can condemn such a student to a lifetime of
low paying….as well as low esteemed work.