Dress code changes proposed

The school dress code policy may get some updates.

Jay School Board on Monday received proposed updates to the elementary and junior-senior high handbooks, including to the dress code policy, for review in preparation for a vote at its May meeting.

Jay School Corporation assistant superintendent Trent Paxson told the board that dress code, bus regulations, cheating and plagiarism, and student privacy and access to information were the four main areas where changes were made in the handbooks. He noted that the elementary school handbook was also adjusted to bring it more in line with the junior-senior high document.

Junior-senior high assistant principal/dean Brad Milleman presented details of the dress code changes, explaining that the process included looking at dress codes from other area school districts, seeking staff, student and parent feedback and reviewing data on “referrals” from the last two years. Through that process, it was found that there were minor concerns about the overall policy with greater concerns about how violations are handled, consistency and being “overly nit-picky.”

Among the changes made in the proposed handbook are grouping like items — headwear, upper garments, lower garments — together in order to make the guidelines easier to understand. There will also be photographic examples of what is permissible and what is not.

Other recommended changes include:

•Using the term “mid-thigh” for shorts, skirts and dresses rather than “fingertip length”

•Removing pajamas, wristbands and biker shorts from the restricted list

•Adding sunglasses and flags to the restricted list

It is also being recommended that staff be trained to pull students aside rather than disciplining them in front of other students and to maintain a respectful demeanor in order to reduce student embarrassment. Processes and documentation will be put in place to help with consistency of enforcement.

Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley reminded that board that multiple parents visited meetings in spring 2023 to lodge complaints about the dress code policy.

“I think it addressed all those issues of last year,” said board member Marcie Vormohr of the proposed changes.

Also Monday, the board heard from junior-senior high principal Chad Dodd and assistant principal James Myers that the school has been re-certified as an Early College program through the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL). The recertification process included interviews with students and staff.

“They went on about how highly the students spoke of our teachers and how much the teachers have helped and supported them and made themselves available after school,” said Dodd of the endorsement committee. “And they said they don’t hear that everywhere they go.”

Myers pointed out that more than 80 students took at least three college classes in 2020, ’21 and ’22 and that about 15% of this year’s graduating class will graduate with the equivalent of an associate’s degree.

In other business, board members Donna Geesaman, Phil Ford, Vickie Reitz, Jason Phillips, Marcie Vormohr and Chip Phillips, absent Ron Laux:

•Approved the retirements of assistant principal/athletics director Steve Boozer, Bloomfield Elementary School second grade teacher Kim Hyatt, high school business teacher Rhonda Clott and junior high business teacher Connie Lyons.

•Heard from business manager Shannon Current that she projects a positive cash flow of $3,000 in the education fund and a positive cash flow of $1,500 in the operations fund for 2024. Projected year-end cash balances are $7.9 million in the education fund and $4.7 million.

•Approved the following: the hiring of speech language pathologist Shannon Coe, Latchkey instructional assistant Amanda Butcher and Lifeskills instructional assistant Tamara Pitman; extracurricular assignments including Marvin Buckner as assistant boys and girls golf coach, Ian Ruiz as assistant boys soccer coach and Quinn Faulkner as freshman football coach; the resignation of Christie Sommers as assistant swim coach leaves of absence for Rebecca May, Kim Hyatt and Stacy Campbell; a field trip for high school Spanish students to El Meson restaurant in Dayton, Ohio; service contracts with Curtis & Livers for special education professional consulting services and East Coast Migrant Head State Project for transitioning children from East Coast Migrant Head Start into the public school system; adoption of textbooks for the junior-senior high business department; the flexibility waiver to allow late starts on four days during the school year for the purpose of professional development.  

•Accepted the resignation of seventh grade math teacher Ava Kahlig.

•Accepted the donation of a communication board for the playground at West Jay Elementary School from Psi Iota Xi sorority. (Similar boards were installed last year at Hudson Family Park in Portland.)