LHS administrators will crack down on dress code in January

As we anticipate the beginning of a new semester, we ask for your support in our continuing efforts to improve campus climate at Lockhart High School. In addition to maintaining high academic expectations for all students, we feel that one of the primary components in creating an atmosphere conducive to learning is applying the rules approved by the school board and set fort

h in the LISD Secondary Student Handbook and Code of Conduct. We ask for your support in this endeavor. Please review the handbook and the code of conduct with your students. Both were sent home with students in August, and both are available on-line at http://www.lockhartisd.org.

One area to which we will be giving particular attention is the dress code. The dress code, explained on pages 16-17 of the Secondary Student Handbook, is in place to reduce distractions in classrooms and to support community norms as defined by the school board and larger community. During this fall semester we have worked to enforce the ban on hats and piercings by taking up hats and ear/nose/eyebrow rings and returning them to students at the end of the day or week. We have given students that wear inappropriate attire other clothing to wear for the rest of the day. These measures have not been as effective as we might hope; students continue to disregard the dress code. Therefore, beginning in January discipline referrals will accompany any reported violation of the dress code. Items confiscated from students will not be returned until the end of the semester, and students in inappropriate clothing will be sent home to change into something that conforms to the dress code before being allowed to return to class.

A large number of disruptions in class are caused by materials that are best left at home. Among these are CD players, Gameboys and other electronic equipment. This issue is addressed on Page 16 of the Student Handbook under the heading “Do Not Bring to School.” Per policy articulated in the handbook, these items will be confiscated and held until a parent picks them up or until the end of the school year. Referrals for disruption to class will accompany the confiscated item to the office if the item is out during class time. Cell phones have also posed some problems for us this year. In years past, cell phones have not been allowed on campus. This year the handbook was amended to say that students are allowed to carry cell phones, but these are to be used “only for life-threatening situations” (Page 13 of the Student Handbook). Please respect this condition; if you need to reach your student about a change in transportation or to leave any other message, please call the front office and ask that a message be delivered to your child. Similarly, students have access to phones on campus to call you. Student cell phones are to be used only in extreme emergencies and should remain off and put away during the course of a regular school day. Any cell phones that go off or that are visible will be confiscated and held in the same way as other disruptive devices listed in the paragraph above.

Thank you for your help and support in these matters. We look forward to a wonderful spring semester at Lockhart High School. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Charles Red
Mark Stedman
Jennifer Williams
Joy Philpott