Warren County Schools will implement dress code

WARRENTON, N.C. — Parents in Warren County are split over a new school policy that will require students to adhere to a dress code for the 2008-2009 school year.

School administrators said the decision was based on the need to discourage "gang-like" activity, and they said they believe a dress code could help do that.

Principals say colors and logos are ways students identify themselves as part of certain groups.

"I could imagine, if you go into a restroom and you see someone dressed all in a certain color – I would be sort of reluctant to go in," Warren County High School Principal Joyce Long said.

But some parents say that's not enough reason to tell all students what they can wear.

"It's not a private school. It's a public school, and I buy my clothes for my children," parent Christine Dunham said. "I don't think they have a right to tell me what to buy."

The school system still must decide which clothes will fit the dress code and which will not. The policy will likely go beyond colors and logos and include how students wear clothes, Warren County Schools Superintendent Ray Spain said.

"(It could be) things that would normally be distracting from the environment, things that are too tight or too loose," he said.

There is a public hearing on the new dress code next Friday, but a specific time and location have not been determined.