Parents Cristen Myers and Jerry Foster organized a protest in April in Puxico to raise awareness of the Puxico School District dress code policy.
The parents say they assembled this protest on April 12 because their daughter has received dress code violations over an outfit that she had worn multiple times before in the current school year.
School officials are expected to review the policy at their June or July school board meeting as part of its renewal for the next school year.
School board president Chad Payne told the family at an April public meeting that he wanted to talk more with them, and the district wants to have a fair policy in place.
In an interview with Payne, he said he did not think the protest was a bad idea.
He said he is all for freedom of speech and likes to see people express their opinions.
When asked if the dress code is made equal to all students and if the school board believes the dress code portrays accurate professionalism, Payne replied, “School is a learning environment. While we want kids to be comfortable and have fun, ultimately, we are preparing them for their future.”
“In almost every aspect of life, there is to some extent an acceptable form of dress and presentation of one’s self. Different situations, locations, and social/professional circumstances dictate different forms of acceptable behavior and dress,” he said. “This dress code is simply a guide for what is felt as acceptable presentation at school in a learning environment. The school does have an equality process and it is outlined in the student’s handbook.”
Both Cristen and Jerry say they were confused as to why their daughter recently received violations over an outfit they thought followed the school policy. The outfit was black leggings with an oversized sport t-shirt and sport hoodie. The parents said that the shirt and hoodie met the measurement requirement of a dollar bill length measured from the top of the knee and up the thigh.
According to the school staff, Foster received the violation because she had her shirt pulled up above her waist exposing the full leggings.
In an interview with Cristen Myers, she discussed how she believes the current dress code policy is out of date and that the staff does not enforce the policy consistently or accurately.
“I just want either everyone to follow the dress code because I do think students, especially girls, get singled out, or I wouldn’t mind if they even went to uniforms for equality and consistency,” Cristen stated.
Cristen also discussed how she really just wants parents and students involved in the making of the dress code policy.
“We purchase the clothes and our children have to wear them. All we want is a voice to discuss and bring up points that some others may not, we’re not all farmers or school members. Some of us are just hard-working families who do the best we can to provide for our children and we’re the ones who feel left without a voice,” she said.
Jerry said he was confused and concerned about the situation, and had emailed the school superintendent to express his concerns. He did provide a copy of his email to the school board during April school board meeting which followed the protest.
In his email, he stated that his daughter has worn this particular outfit multiple times this school year and asked why it is now an issue, seven months later.
He followed with another question, asking if the dress code policy was consistently enforced or if his daughter was singled out that day. He said he couldn’t believe his daughter was the only girl to wear leggings that day, and asked if any of the other girls received violations at that time. He then went on to ask if his daughter was informed why she was receiving a violation and/or if the staff simply asked her to keep her shirt pulled down below her waist.
“I’m sure if this was explained to her, she would have been happy to comply,” Jerry said. “My daughter is a good student with straight A’s and follows the rules exceptionally.”
Jerry informed the superintendent that he felt his daughter was distraught over the situation because she couldn’t understand why she was being pulled from class and into the office.
The school did follow up with an in-person meeting with both parents, according to the family, but the parents said they still felt unclear about how the school is enforcing the dress code policy and making sure is it equal to all students and staff.
Jerry and Cristen both expressed concerns at the April school board meeting about the dress code and how they feel it is inconsistently monitored, creates confusion between staff, students and parents, is dismissed when it comes to posts on the school’s social media and how it is potentially discriminatory between the male and female students.
The parents also said they are concerned the staff does not follow the guidelines of the dress code policy, causing conflict with how the policy is enforced. They lastly discussed their concerns about how the variation of the policy causes random students to receive violations and singles them out, causing anxiety or other mental health issues, as their daughter went through.
Jerry presented the school board with information in April on other local school district dress codes and how they compare to Puxico’s policy. He also said the dress code policy needs to take into consideration the different heights of students, as one single form of measurement causes inconsistencies.
Jerry said he hopes that the school board will review the current dress code policy for middle and high school levels and create an effective policy that is efficient and straightforward. He would also like a full and comprehensive review of the staff dress code, to make it equal to the students’ dress code, and a complete overview of discipline and enforcement policies on the revised student dress code, which would include training for the staff for proper enforcement of the policy.
Both Cristen and Jerry said they want what’s best for their child and all the students, and to make sure equality is presented not only between boys and girls, but for students and staff as well.
Following Jerry and Cristen’s concerns, Payne tried his best to answer all questions presented and assured the concerns mentioned.
Payne informed Jerry and Cristen the school board is voted on by all parents whose children attend the school and with that vote comes a responsibility to make sure all students feel safe, comfortable and equal. The school board takes into consideration the changes of today’s society and tries to modify the school’s dress code policy as best as they can, he said.
Payne went on to mention that almost everyone on the school board has children who attend Puxico school, and that they always keep in mind equality and fairness when discussing the dress code policy. He said he would like to talk more with the family about their concerns.
The policy for the dress code is reviewed before every school year by the staff and alternations or changes are applied before the student’s handbooks are passed out, according to Payne.
“Any suggested changes are discussed by the board and approved, or modified and approved to provide what everyone feels will best work the district,” Payne explained.
Payne explained the dress code is gender-neutral and in no way distinguishes between males and females, adding the dress code policy has the same standards for girls as it does for boys with any and all clothing.
He feels the staff does enforce the policy efficiently and if there are continued issues, the school board will discuss matters further.
Payne also made sure to let both Cristen and Jerry know that he is a father before he is a school board member and he takes altering the dress code policy with a fatherly mind and ensures that it is from a parent’s perspective.
In closing, Payne explained that he will take everything stated at the meeting into consideration and hopes to resolve any and all concerns for the future.