Wednesday, March 26, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Clark County School District teachers and administrators dreading a proposed radical tightening of the dress code can let out a collective sigh of relief.
The School Board's Policy Committee never intended to impose the strict standards some people were worried about, and spent the better part of an hour Tuesday trying to clear up the misconception.
The committee used a Dallas school system dress code as a resource and as a survey base for Clark County teachers, not as a recommendation for adoption in Clark County.
"The Dallas plan is not what we were considering anywhere to be the dress code. It was just a point of reference," committee Chairwoman Lois Tarkanian said. "I wonder if we could just take away the Dallas guidelines."
School Board member Shirley Barber put the item on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting as a result of discussions at the School Board's retreat in January.
There was a consensus at the retreat that there needed to be clarification of the dress regulations because of different interpretations of the vague wording of the district's policy.
Barber said she felt strongly that teachers should be role models for students, and part of that responsibility includes dressing professionally.
"I am concerned we must look the part. Children really observe everything we do," Barber said.
She recalled difficulty she had enforcing her interpretation of the dress code at various times during her tenure as a principal, and said clearer guidelines should be adopted.
"We really do need to be role models and I have a real serious concern when our teachers are not dressed appropriately," Barber said.
"There was a degree of respect in the old days when our teachers dressed up. It isn't there today because our students don't respect our teachers, and that is a shame."
J.J. Smith, director of Uniserv, the mediation arm of the Clark County Classroom Teachers Association, and fifth-grade teacher Cheryl Grossman based their comments on the strict guidelines of the Dallas regulation.
Smith said a survey of teachers, which has not been completely tallied, showed the employees would not support guidelines requiring male teachers and administrators to wear dress slacks, shirts and ties to school every day.
Smith also said it would have a negative effect on morale.
Grossman also balked at the proposal and said it wouldn't be practical for elementary teachers to wear dressy clothing. The Dallas rules require female teachers to wear dresses or skirts.
Policy Committee members Tarkanian, Judy Witt, Barber, Mary Beth Scow and Ruth Johnson agreed that a minimal set of guidelines should be set to deal with some of the abuses of the individual interpretations of the standing policy.
The committee will forward its recommendations to George Ann Rice, assistant superintendent of human resources. Rice then will put the recommendations into a proposal, which will be discussed at the next committee meeting.
Regardless of what the committee decides, it does not have the power to make changes in the policy. The recommendations have to be forwarded to the full School Board, which must vote twice on any changes to school district policy before they take effect.
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