Crossroads students prepare to meet new dress code

Published 10:47 pm Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Inspirational credos are posted at frequent intervals along the hallways at Crossroads Academy.

“Respect begins with understanding,” reads one sign.

“Only positive attitudes allowed beyond this point,” says another.

But just in case, every Crossroads student begins each day being swept by a hand-held metal detector.

These students have been removed from their traditional schools because of chronic misbehavior and placed in Crossroads, a joint alternative school for Dalton and Whitfield County students. By January, they will be required to adhere to a new dress code or be removed from the old Fort Hill School building overlooking downtown Dalton.

“Everybody won’t like it, but I can see why they’re doing it,” said one Crossroads student, who said he was caught smoking marijuana in a Northwest Whitfield High School bathroom last December and assigned to spend one semester at Crossroads.

“I got in trouble here for fighting, so they gave me a whole year,” he said. “But I’m doing better, and I’ll be able to go back to Northwest at the end of December.”

The dress code requires fitted khakis and buttoned, white dress shirts or polo shirts and a plain black belt. A navy-colored sweater or sweatshirt may be worn if needed. No oversized clothes or insignias including numbers, letters or drawings will be allowed.

The plan was created by Lloyd Brochu, the director of the Academy who took over in July after Sharon Conway left to become a joint assistant principal at Beaverdale and Cohutta Elementary schools. The Whitfield County Board of Education approved the plan last week.

“It’s always a challenge being in this type of program, but I’m a firm believer in building bridges,” said Brochu, whose wife, Katie, is superintendent of Whitfield County Schools. “There’s been a lot of conversation between faculty and staff about the dress code since I interviewed with Dr. (Orval) Porter (Dalton Public Schools superintendent) and Dusty Brown (an assistant superintendent of Whitfield County Schools).”

Brochu, formerly an assistant principal at Eastbrook Middle School, said he worked in a nontraditional school in Rock Hill, S.C., that used uniforms effectively.

“Dress is one of the major problems in these environments. Students try to show their (gang) affiliation through color and numbers,” he said. “Plus, there are socioeconomic issues. I really believe uniforms take pressure off families, alleviate some of these problems and help increase academic performance.”

Another Crossroads student, wearing trendy jeans and a T-shirt accented by a necklace, said the dress code should help students navigating their way through the school.

“I have khakis and polos already, but I wouldn’t be too happy about it. I’ll be out of here before then anyway, thank God,” said the student, who said he was given a three-month suspension from the Whitfield Career Academy for distributing marijuana and bringing a weapon to school. “I don’t like being here. I’ve got my life back together, and I’ve finished two classes since I’ve been here.”

Brochu said some students are assigned by tribunal hearings to spend as little as 20 days at Crossroads, while others stay 180 days — a full school year — depending on the severity of the infraction. Students maintain the school work using NovaNet, an Internet-based computer software. Brochu has also installed a point system in which students can earn reduced time at the school.

“Students can earn 30 points a day; they have to earn a certain amount of points before they can go back early. Before, they just had a certain number of days and community service they had to serve; this puts responsibility back on the student,” Brochu said. “Our goal is to get the student back to their home school and the traditional learning environment. Some come here, spend a short time doing their work, and are then sent back to their home school.”

The dress code at traditional schools is much more lax, but a parent approached the county school board last week with concerns about consistent implementation. Unlike the new Crossroads policy, the general school dress code allows jeans, cargo pants and sweat pants; but neither dress code allows pants with holes in them.

Board vice chairman Tim Trew said the current dress code has become increasingly lenient since one first adopted in 2003, and a district-level committee reviews the policy each year.

“The current county-wide policy is more lax than it was first written. It’s easier to conform to now than when it was first put in place,” he said. “I remember how restrictive it was to find things for my own children to wear. But it’s been getting more acceptive of styles that weren’t first accepted.”

Trew said while uniforms might be simpler than multiple interpretations of the current dress code, “the easiest thing is not always the right thing to do,” and the board has not had any discussions about alterring the dress code for traditional schools.

“I don’t like the idea of dictating (uniforms) myself,” he said. “While I feel for administrators and teachers, I believe in individualism and freedom of expression within the limits of the policy. I don’t like standardized dress. I hate the thought of my kids wanting to go home to change clothes first thing before they go out in the evening.”

However, Trew said he understand Crossroads Academy’s need to maintain a more strict dress code. And if those students don’t comply, they might have to deal with a new school resource officer. The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners just gave first approval for a deputy to be stationed in the school after the Christmas break.

And Brochu said funding is in place for those students who can’t afford the new dress requirements.

“Many students are already wearing $80 jeans. It shouldn’t be a problem. The new uniforms can be bought … for under $30, and there’s always Goodwill,” he said. “But we’ve discussed that as a concern, and we have groups in place that can take care of those students.”