spacejamz
Lifer
Should public schools be a place of learning or freedom to express yourself even though it may distract other students/teachers?
Link is probably only good for today - 07/10/06...
Dress code targets student jewelry
Arlington ISD: Officials limit mouth, ear jewelry
10:10 AM CDT on Monday, July 10, 2006
By TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News
Body piercer Kayden Dorman disagrees with the Arlington school district's new dress code: "If they're allowing people to wear earrings, they should allow them to wear bigger earrings." Karrick Senegar says rapping and grills go together like cars and tires.
That's why the 16-year-old aspiring rapper and Arlington student spent $200 in April on the mouth jewelry known as a grill. But the Sam Houston High School junior won't be able to flash his six-tooth white-gold diamond-cut grill around campus come August.
The Arlington school district has changed its dress code to ban the trendy mouth jewelry. Also added to the unacceptable list are tall tees ? oversized shirts that hang to the knees ? and the practice of stretching out earlobes, sometimes called gauging.
Sam Houston student Devonte Wright recently lost his grill and is saving up to buy another. He isn't happy he can't wear it at school.
"Really, a grill is just like an earring. It's fashion," said Devonte, 16, a junior. "I wouldn't wear a gauge, but that's a way to express yourself, too."
It might be self-expression for students, but school district officials who monitor the latest trends say some don't belong on campus. They end up adjusting the dress code annually to keep up with the kids' desire to wear short skirts, saggy pants or see-through shirts.
"The district is having to respond to fads because they've become distracters or a safety hazard for those around them," said Malcolm Turner, executive director of student services for the Arlington school district. "They don't serve a purpose for schooling; they're for cosmetic purposes."
Other area school districts, including Irving, Grand Prairie and DeSoto, specifically ban grills. Several also have enough leeway in their policies to address gauging.
Deja Thomas, 17, a junior at Sam Houston, said she understands why there are rules banning short skirts and sagging pants but doesn't get why grills have got to go.
Neither does LaVeda Antwine, 17, a senior at Sam Houston.
"If they bought it, they should be able to wear it," she said.
Not so, says school board trustee Gloria Pena, who sought to ban the practice of stretching earlobes, which can be permanent.
"We want to instill in them a sense of modesty and a sense of community," she said. "We're preparing them for the workforce, and in the workforce there are rules."
Kayden Dorman, 31, a tattoo artist at Arlington's Tantalizing Tattoos and Body Piercing, said a lot of students come to the shop.
"I think if they're allowing people to wear earrings, they should allow them to wear bigger earrings," Mr. Dorman said, referring to the plugs, retainers, spacers and eyelets worn during the earlobe-stretching process.
"It's about exploring and going to the next level of self-expression and extreme body modification," said Mr. Dorman, who began stretching his earlobes when he was 27.
Abbie Thomas, a parent of two Sam Houston High School students, said she favors the list of newly banned items.
"Certain things are a distraction," Ms. Thomas said. "You are here for work. You're here to learn. Just leave it at home."
While that sentiment might be popular among parents, it doesn't sit well with students.
Heather Gonzales, 14, a freshman at Arlington's Seguin High School, said: "I would think it would be the student's choice. I don't really see what the big deal is."
Tariq Izuagbe, 17, a sophomore at Sam Houston, is a fan of the tall tees and grills. Until he learned of the new dress code, he was planning to buy a grill.
"I'm not about to spend all that money and not be able to wear it," Tariq said.
The mouth jewelry has gained popularity through hip-hop and rap music; St. Louis rapper Nelly recently had a hit called "Grillz."
"It attracts a lot of girls sometimes," Karrick said of his grill.
Grills sold at J's Grill cost $180 to $3,000, said Bob Cho, owner of the Arlington store. Mr. Cho said some parents come by to purchase grills for their children who have received good grades.
Still, "it's better for the strict rules," he said. "When you put grills in, you can't talk well."
Jordan Cheatham, 15, a sophomore at Sam Houston, said administrators "should be worried about our grades, not what we have on our backs."
But Shane Nelson, an assistant principal at Arlington High, disagreed.
"I think there's certain attire that's appropriate at school. The district is acting in its best interest in preserving school as a learning place."
