DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — The ripped jeans look may be in with teenagers, but it is definitely out as appropriate attire for RSU 68 students. The school board banned clothing last June that has a “distressed look” consisting of rips, tears and holes in the pants.
The board reissued its edict at the beginning of the school year, warning both parents and students that any violations would result in students needing to change their clothes or be sent home. The new dress requirement has not resulted in many violations, according to Superintendent Alan Smith, but it has caused concern for at least two parents.
The board received two complaints during its Oct. 2 meeting about the new dress code. The parents believed the new policy was an overreaction to how students wanted to express themselves through their fashion.
School officials declined to make any changes to the dress code but indicated they would review the policy in the future.
“The board decided that this year the ‘distressed look’ wasn’t going to be allowed,” said Smith. “We will review the policy later in the school year, but so far it has gone very well.”
In other action, the board nominated Chairman Rick Johnston of Charleston to serve as its voting delegate on Oct. 25 and 26 during the Maine School Management Association fall convention in Augusta.
Johnston will be voting on four proposals the association has put forward to its membership.
The RSU 68 board indicated it favors the MSBA’s positions on proposals on professional development, teacher preparation programs, superintendents’ agreements and virtual schools.
The board favored an MSBA proposal to urge the Maine Department of Education, in consultation with the major educational organizations — colleges and universities — to develop a plan of state financial assistance to support professional development for teachers and principals on both a local and regional basis.
RSU 68 directors are also in favor of the association’s proposal to create a special commission to examine the current state of approved teacher preparation programs to determine if they appropriately prepare teachers to help all students master the Common Core Standards.
The directors are also supportive of the MSBA’s position that the state should not approve any future requests for virtual schools.
Smith indicated that the educational data resulting from these new schools have not been in the best interests of a majority of Maine students.
The district also has sided with the MSBA’s desire to urge the commissioner of education to cease overturning local superintendents’ decisions about requests for students to attend school outside of their home district.
The MSBA believes Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen has overturned too many
superintendents’ decision in an effort to expand school choice within the state.
The RSU 68 directors will meet next at 6:30 Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the Monson Community Center.
RIP rips.
im sure if you have a knee tear that is ok. but did you see the pants they are talking about look like they got sprayed with battery acid, and they by them that way HUH? waste of money and you look like a hobo.
Sadly funny how they charge extra to buy those jeans.
Maine parents has the money to buy them good for maine
Actually joe6000, a knee tear is NOT OK. They will send your kids home for that and call the parents to come get them. Been there, done that with this school already. My feeling is, yes a knee tear should be ok as long as thats all it is, after all not everyone can afford to go buying their kids new pants everytime they fall down and rip them. I’m sick of being called on this type of petty matter to come get my kids and take them home to change because this means LOST WAGES for me when I have to get out of work to come get them. Granted, this has only happened twice (once with each of my kids), but it’s especially annoying when the ripped pants occur on the playground at recess. Seriously, couldn’t this have waited until they got home from school?
that’s what im getting at that is crazy. i remember in school just kneeling to tie my shoe and rip a knee tear, you no after so many washes it just happens.the school system is out of control now. my parents never got called for that.
Why don’t you teach your kid simple mending? Why do you have to throw something out and buy new instead of fixing it?
sadah, tried that also and they won’t allow it. It causes a “distraction” just like the tears do. I’ve tried putting nice clean patches on, or sewing the tear, but am told they need to be “free of rips, tears, patches and marks that cause distraction”. Any other suggestions? Oh, and who said anything about throwing it out and buying new? Are you kidding? I’m not that well off that I can afford to just throw clothes out when they get a tear or blemish!
Imagine , telling the kids what they can and can’t wear while discussing the constitution in social studies class. No wonder kids graduate from high school confused . All this time I have blamed the teachers. Time to elect a new school board , I’d suggest pro Americans.
When did rules and dress codes become a violation of one’s constitutional rights?
IN MAINE GO GOV
And what about the rights of those around the student who might actually take school a little bit seriously? I mean,we already have a gov.that thinks that Maine students are ‘behind’. Lets make a rEEEEally big deal of ‘ripped pants’ and prove him right?Come on,we have to have SOME rules,especially as kids in school.When you become an adult,responsible for your own actions,legally and morally,then you can make these kind of choices.Ripped jeans? Really?Thats what these people are worried about?Where are the brilliant minds of tomorrow?
And when did minors get the “rights” to “express themselves” wherever and however they want?
Ripped clothing that looks like rags does not belong in school. It’s a matter of what is appropriate. It’s a bit horrifying what kids get away with for “clothing” these days.
why? Is there a safety hazard on why ripped jeans can’t be worn to school?
There is in a shop class!
please kids in auto shop always had ratty old jeans on. we never had any issues with it.
My granddaughters are actually encouraged to go to school in their pajamas.
they also teach their own version of history, leaveing out many truths and substitute lies. my son is out of school now but he would tell me what was said in school, and i would set him straight then go to the school and explain to the teacher stop the lies. when i went to school i had history and it was not their version, always ask your kids what did you learn today in school it will blow your mind.then you can tell them the truth but if you under 50 you where probably lied to already.
homeschool your kid if you are unhappy with what they are taught….
it’s called indoctrination.
Columbus !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you for real?? Why don’t we just let them go to school naked if they want? We certainly don’t any rules that’ll cause them to graduate all confused!!!! All I can say is I hope you are not a parent.
MAINE NOW IS A NAKED SCHOOL GREAT GO GOV
my two year old granddaughter would love it
“All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.”
One of my kids (some time ago now) wanted that look and thought I would buy a pair of jeans and actually pay over 100 bucks for said pair….
I refused to argue.
Told the kid I’d see what I could do, I’m creative….nailed them to an old piece of plywood. Loaded the 12 gauge with double ought and voila! Nicely broken in jeans. Take them or leave them……
Nothing like seeing your daughter headed off to school with her underwear visible and her a** hanging out of the holes in her jeans.
(I am sure the boys at school did appreciate it.)
you have the right to be an attorney
Funniest post I ever read. Thanks
Now we have a pants Attorney only in MAINE
I’m 52 and went to public schools. When I started school, girls were not allowed to wear pants. By the time I graduated from high school, obviously I could but not sandals, shorts, hats, or clothes that revealed my belly. I don’t remember ever reading a dress code or it being an issue with students or parents. The codes evolved over time – girls could wear pants, pants got tighter (my brother got sent home because a ping pong ball would not fall freely inside his pants), jeans were allowed, ties were no longer required. As I remember, we understood there’s a place and a time for everything. Our teachers had to dress a certain way, our parents dressed a certain way to work, to shop, to entertain, to go out to dinner. It’s a life lesson not an attack on Constitutional rights.
Do you realize how old you sound?
In the 60’s I went to public school with duct tape holding the sole of my shoe’s on until my dad the builder could sell one of his houses!
LOL
What kind of Teacher would put Ping Pong Balls down your Pants?
Sounds like a “Preppy” Cape Elizabeth School to Me?
Either That or Ogunguit!
no, not prep school. overcrowded public school in South Jersey in the 70’s.
The parents believed the new policy was an overreaction to how students wanted to express themselves through their fashion. LOL……I would want to know why these parents would allow their kids to go to school dressed like bums….I suppose as Thoreau more or less said, “If some in France wants to go around with a live turkey on their heads as a fashion statement then Americans should do the same thing…..”
Those kids that dress that way are better than bums
Not much better
Never judge a person how they dress or look
How someone dresses and allows themselves to look is usually a good indicator to their character and behavior.
I agree … They are better … so dress like it :)
If the kids so need to “express themselves” (no doubt some psychiatrist thought of this one), then they can do it after school.
Deal with it. Life is full of disappointments.
I would hate to be a kid of yours….
And I’d hate to have you.
My kids love me.
What did I say that is so offensive?
You just want to give kids whatever they want. So they get used to getting whatever they want. And it goes on and on. Sometimes you just have to say “no”.
Subject: [bdn] Re: Dover-Foxcroft schools hold fast to ban on ripped jeans look
Some of them wear the ” Distressed Look ” because they “ARE” Distressed!
Look the other way if you don’t like it!
Some of them are “POOR” !
Deal With It! Life is full of inequalities!
We’re talking about a fashion trend here, not how wealthy or not you are. And if these kids really are poor, more than likely their parents seem to find money for beer, tattoos, cigarettes and lottery tickets.
Subject: [bdn] Re: Dover-Foxcroft schools hold fast to ban on ripped jeans look
boy, you seem to know the parents of Dover-Foxcroft really well. Glad you’re so quick to label them.
Thank you!
Subject: [bdn] Re: Dover-Foxcroft schools hold fast to ban on ripped jeans look
Do you know all the parents in Dover?? Not everyone wastes away their money on beer, tattoos, cigs, and lottery tickets.
Many parents have to decide between paying the light bill or putting food on the table. They don’t have the luxury of being able to buy brand new clothing every time they tear.
Before you comment I think you should educate yourself and don’t make assumptions…because you know what they say about assuming….
If they tear, then repair them. But of course, nobody knows how to sew anymore. Just buy new, that solves all the problems. And like the article says, it’s a ripped jeans “look”.
Subject: [bdn] Re: Dover-Foxcroft schools hold fast to ban on ripped jeans look
As someone else already stated…..they won’t let the kids show up with repaired jeans. They say its a distraction.
Repaired jeans are more of a distraction than ones with rips in it?
I just don’t understand anything anymore.
Where has all the common sense gone to?
Subject: [bdn] Re: Dover-Foxcroft schools hold fast to ban on ripped jeans look
There was a time that parents forced their kids to wear the “distressed” look. I remember many times when we, as kids, were told, “it’s just a little hole, when your azz shows then we’ll worry about it”. I think the “distressed” look is kids retaliating against their parents, if they have to wear holes then they’ll dress those holes up to make it art.
I can’t help but wonder how many of the school board members are retaliating for all the holes they had to wear as kids, this is their golden opportunity to get even with parents everywhere.
I’m all for common sense rules but how about we concentrate more on teaching the kids instead of worrying about what they wear as long as what they wear isn’t vulgar or showing more than they should.
Here’s a compromise, way back when girls couldn’t wear their skirts more than an inch above the knee, how about no holes more than two inches above the knee and use up valuable classroom time by teachers measuring every kid.
When I went to school in the County (grad in ’73), girls could wear only pant suits instead of dresses or skirts.
The boys code was NO jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, facial hair or hair touching the ears. Our parents expected it too! Somehow, we got by.
I remember when this fad was popular in the 80’s. Funny how a long recession brings back such a fad. I remember home gardens were the in thing too, to save on food because of a recession near that same time period in the late 70’s to early 80’s.
At first, I thought this ripped clothing fad came back so the poor kids wouldn’t feel so bad for having ratty clothes. So the minority rich kids wouldn’t stick out and wanted in, and/or the manufacturers wanted to cash in on making popular what the poor kids were stuck with? Isn’t that why there were uniforms, so people wore uniform clothing and there was no difference between the poor kids and the rich kids? Those who could or would wear the “in” thing.
Now what are the poor kids going to wear?
In some ways I think it’s like increasing the size of clothes to make obese people feel good, while the thin people have no place to turn for clothing. Why not? They obviously have enough money to eat enough to be over weight?
Oh no! So much for my idea for a reality show based on ’80s hair metal band members going back to finish their diplomas.
Lets focus on banning pants kids like to have the waist down around their butt so you see nothing but boxers. I mean let’s face it, if anyone walked into school today with just their underwear or boxers on, that is not OK, in this district if you wear ripped jeans, that is not OK either, but feel free to wear pants 8 sizes too big for you and show your boxers all day…..
Good grief. The biggest problem with high school is that it is compulsory, it should not be,
only those with a goal, interest, and want, should be enrolled. Building a student body with a common goal to excel. High school helps, and hurts, students in it’s present form. It is not understood by students at that age, the cost to residents paying real estate tax dollars, that is pinching so many, these kids seem not to appreciate what they have. Take it away, only if they respect and take it serious, may be what is needed. Wear what you are told to, life is like that, a lot of hard working people are strapped badly paying for this education.
School districts have a lot of fixed costs that don’t go down as enrollment declines, so districts with fewer enrolled students paradoxically tend to struggle more, economically speaking. As such, throwing a bunch of kids out is probably not even a short-term solution.
In the long term, not bothering to educate a chunk of the population for no better reason than “they don’t have a goal or seem to be taking it seriously” is a fantastic idea, and by “fantastic” I mean “confined to the realm of fantasy”. These are not, let’s keep in mind, people renowned for their long-range planning abilities. High school is compulsory precisely because if it weren’t, a lot of people who need it wouldn’t show up, and the 21st century’s need for an uneducated underclass fit only for mindlessly repetitive factory work is somewhat limited compared to, say, the 19th’s.
You seem to think that high school is preventing an uneducated underclass?? Are you serious, we have an uneducated underclass already, and high school is producing them.
Until kids want to go, are willing to excel, we are wasting a lot of other kids education, in time, things would change, I did not say they could not go, but they must toe the line, or they are booted out, because it will not be compulory. This is the way it should be.
No, I’m not saying there isn’t one, I’m saying your suggestion would make it expand enormously if implemented, and for no good reason. You’d as well bring back those great Georgian institutions, the workhouse and the pressgang. It’s 2012, for pity’s sake.
Ben, workhouses,….. what do you think Walmart and Irving jobs are?? You do not like it when someone knows what they are talking about, I will tell you when someone graduated from high school in 1940, they had almost the equivalant of a college education today.
When a kid graduated from 8th grade in 1930, they had a better education that a high school grad today, we are watering it down to much, just compare an 80 year olds handwriting to student today, sorry Ben, you are wrong.
Wrong about what? You haven’t addressed anything I’ve said, just maundered about Kids These Days and how much better it was back in the day. Besides, if your education’s so great, how come you don’t know that “they” doesn’t go with “someone”? One is plural, the other is not. Honestly, kids these days.
LOL, trying to change the subject Ben, LOL, I bet you are studdering too, betcha, LOL,
yeah yeah yeah, okay Ben, ya right there they and someone told ya , ya right okay now ya can relax. LOL
… Dang, man. I’m not sure if you need to increase the voltage or decrease the dosage, but either way, you’ve lost it, pond.
Come undress anything is OK in Maine
This style trend still blows my mind. I’ve been out of high school for ten years and even while I was there the only time I had ripped pants on was when I’d changed for work after the school day was over. I’m not pretentious by any means I just didn’t want to spend money on clothing that was already torn as I did that well enough when actually wearing them. Then again, perhaps the fact that I started paying for my school clothes at 14 had something to do with it…
School and getting an education is the job of the student. Jobs require a certain attire to be appropriate. What is the problem with following directions? After school is over for the day, then they can dress however they wish—that is, if it is within thee laws of decency and if their parents allow it.
Now may be the time to initiate a dress code which requires students to dress as if they are in school. From what I see at the bus stops—dress is more than casual.
this is what the gays want
I just cant imagine paying that kind of money for a pair of pants with holes in them seems kinda stupid to me…. But I do think some schools are going a little far with things it’s bad enough that they control what kids eat….
what is the rationale behind banning these jeans, other than they can?
Some people have waaay too much time and waaay too much power…..
Good grief – what a colossal waste of time and energy by the school board; why don’t they focus on “real education”? Because its a distraction of the public from real educational issues – what’s next, banning visitors at games from wearing hats? Focus on education folks……..
omg we wore them in the 80 ‘s and no one said anything. this is bull. F.A just another way to control the kids. get over it. class of 88
Those Dover-Foxcroft schools are so darn controversial and such leaders. Boy, am I impressed.
I went to school here and graduated in 97. I am soo glad that I am not there now. What harm is it for kids to wear ripped jeans to school? As long as they arent ripped so they are exposing themselves and not falling apart, it shouldn’t be an issue.
The problem is that because they are technically a “private” school they believe that they can dictate how people should act or dress. Foxcroft Academy is being tailored to meet the needs of the foreign exchange students and not the local students.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Foxcroft Academy keeps building new fancy “dorms” and “lodges” for all their foreign exchange students that they are recruiting, but shutting out the kids who are born and raised here and who’s parents, grandparents and great grandparents are all alumni of what used to be a great “hometown” school. They are also in the process of implementing a school uniform that is going to put another burden on parents in our community because they will have to go out and buy specific khaki clothing, sweaters and button up shirts. I think the towns should stop paying enormous chunks of taxpayer’s money to the schools until they prove to us that our local children are the main focus and not foreign exchange students or ripped jeans.
Where in the article does it mention FA? This is a policy of RSU68, not FA in any way. Yes they are a private school which RSU68 tuitions syudents to because they have no High School of their own, and have chosen not to build one . If FA has a specific dress code, then students will have to abide by it. Foreign exchange students bring examples of qualities to the student body that many locals would do well to pay attention to. I have yet to see a arrest of a exchange student, no scuttlebut at all of drug use. Why is that?
It doesn’t mention FA specifically but thats where it all comes from. RSU68 has to keep up with what FA wants because thats where the money comes in.
Never said anything bad about the exchange students themselves. I was simply stating that the school is accomodating them and keeping them happy, but what are they doing for the RESIDENTS of the community??
Like Chickhick said they don’t care about the local children.
It seems rather arbitrary to ban certain clothing based solely on style and not on safety or decency.
Ripped jeans, so what. It’s a way for kids to express their fashion look.