Deans Melissa Pikul and Chad Beaver chose to revisit and redefine the dress code expectations for students.

            “Mr. Beaver and myself have noticed a decline in the standard of how students dress for school in the past couple of years,” Pikul said. “Every year the Dean’s office prioritizes what needs to be taken care of, and we felt this year would be dress code.”

            Students have become less careful and have lost sight of what school attire is appropriate, according to Pikul.

            “We don’t blame students for dressing in an inappropriate way, it’s just what today’s fashion trends are,” Pikul said. “We understand, but we also want to make it clear what is appropriate and what should be worn at home. When parents and visitors are commenting on how our students dress too revealing, then we know there’s a problem.”

            This school year, no new styles have been prohibited as part of the dress code.  In the past, students were not allowed to wear anything sleeveless, but the new dress code policy allows students to wear sleeveless tops.

            However, sleeveless tops must be 2 inches thick at the shoulder in order to be worn in school.

            Kelly Cooke, senior, along with several other of her classmates were asked to sit out of their first period class, until a they could change into appropriate clothing.

            “I came to school one day and the Deans asked me to sit in the small auditorium until someone could drop off a different shirt,” Cooke said. “I had to miss part of first period class just because the sleeves on my shirt weren’t long enough.”

Cooke feels that the enforcement of the dress code policy is a larger distraction to the school day, than the clothing students are wearing.

“I think it’s a waste of time to sit in the small auditorium because of the length of my sleeves, when I could be in class,” Cooke said.

The deans chose to make the school dress code a top priority, due to the confusion that some students have for what is appropriate to wear, according to Pikul.

            “The purpose of the revisitation of the dress code is to ensure that everyone has the same idea of what is okay to wear,” Pikul said. “We don’t want anyone feeling uncomfortable because of what someone else is wearing.”

            The dress code is to ensure a learning environment that is free of all distractions to LZHS students, according to the school handbook.

            “The school is a place of learning,” Beaver said. “We just want to maintain the overall goal of the school.”           

            Violators of the dress code will be asked to change into their P.E. uniform or have a parent drop off a different shirt or pants.