SCHOOL CLIMATE

In order to maintain a school climate that is safe, orderly, and conducive to learning, the following restrictions are necessary.

Dress Code

A standardized dress code has been adopted to help assure that all students are provided safe and appropriate educational opportunities free from unnecessary disruptions or outside influences. We hope to instill in students the need to dress appropriately and have respect for each other, and our school community. For young people, especially teenagers, who are beginning to find their true identities surrounded by peer-pressure and other influences, dress is an important issue. Lifetime habits of taste and dress can be greatly affected by childhood dressing patterns. To that end we offer the following explanation behind the choice of dress standards.

The way a person dresses reflects the way s/he thinks. We want to prepare students for life after high school, and believe a neat professional appearance is a good habit to develop in the teenage years. Just as students would dress one way for a picnic or a ball game, there is an appropriate way to dress for school. A well-groomed student comes to school with an attitude that prepares him or her for neat, conscientious work. His or her attire should demonstrate respect for self, fellow students, and teachers.

It is the responsibility of the faculty and staff to support a positive, purposeful, and respectful educational climate, of which student dress contributes. Students who have inappropriate dress will not be allowed to attend class.

The following general guidelines for dress should be followed:

1. Appearance and grooming should be neat, in good taste and add to the decorum of the individual and school. Student dress should follow basic health practices and must comply with the health code of the state of New Hampshire.

2. Appearance and dress should reflect standards of modesty appropriate for a school setting.

3. Appearance and dress may not interfere with the educational process and must not be distracting to other students or teachers.

Specifically:

• Students are not allowed to wear tank tops with spaghetti straps or halter-tops.
• All shoulder straps should be approximately two inches wide and hide all undergarments.
• All necklines must be appropriate, such as cleavage covering crewnecks, scoop necks, jewel necks, or boat necks.
• Camisole or lingerie type clothing is not allowed.
• No undergarments may be showing at any time (bras, boxers, etc). All shirts must be of length that completely covers one’s midriff and prevents undergarments or back revealed when seated.
• Students are not allowed to wear sagging pants that show undergarments or skin.
• Skirts and shorts length must be of an appropriate length. (Such as mid thigh, or with arms down to the side, skirts and shorts must be as long as the ends of the student's fingertips. It is recommended that shorts have at least a 5-inch inseam.
• Pajamas are not allowed. As a show of spirit and unity, the student council may sponsor a pajama day during spirit week.
• Health regulations dictate that students are not allowed to be in school with bare and stocking feet.
• Clothing that displays or advertises by written or visual statement: sex, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, violence or offensive material is prohibited.
• For safety reasons, spiked items such as collars, wristbands, hats or jackets are not permitted.

It is the faculty’s right and duty to determine if one’s dress is appropriate for an activity. It is also the teacher’s right to require that hats be removed in that teacher’s classroom. If a student feels that a teacher has made an unjust request, the student shall comply with that request in class and confer with that teacher after class. If an agreement cannot be reached, a conference may be scheduled with an administrator.

Violations of the dress code policy will be handled on a case-by-case basis according to the following administrative policy:

First offense: Corrective action, warning, and documentation by faculty and staff.

Second offense: Corrective action, parent notification, and may include an office detention being assigned.

Third offense: Corrective action, parent notification, administrative action which could include but not be limited to holding a parent conference, an office detention, assigning a Saturday Education, and/or assigning time in the Supervised Out of School Suspension Program.

Violations that suggest a pattern of behavior or lead to disrespectful conduct will be handled according to our code of student conduct outlining respectful behavior.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses are to be removed upon entering the building.

Smoking

It is against the law for anyone under the age of 18 to possess or to use tobacco or tobacco products. In addition, Hopkinton High School/Hopkinton Middle School is a smoke-free environment and "Drug Free School Zone." Students who smoke or who are found to be in possession of tobacco or tobacco products will choose between either participating in a two-hour Saturday Education or a smoking cessation class for a first offense. Subsequent offenses will lead to automatic suspension. A student with multiple smoking offenses may also face legal action in addition to being required to attend a smoking cessation class.

Utility Tools (Leatherman, Gerber, etc.)

These tools contain a blade that is not permitted on campus, and therefore will be confiscated. The administration appreciates students volunteering tools that are brought to school by mistake.

Public Displays of Affection

School is not a proper time or place for acts of intimacy. Students should not make it necessary for staff members to embarrass them with a request to cease. The need for more than one reminder will result in disciplinary action.

Student Center Behavior

During lunch, high school students may go outside into a supervised area. Students may visit the library, the Guidance Office or a teacher with have a pre-signed pass.

While in the cafeteria, students are expected to speak in normal tones, to be respectful of the space by picking up after themselves, and to remain seated while eating.

Food and Beverages

Food and beverages (with the exception of water) are to be confined to the Cafeteria/Student Center, and are NOT to be carried to other parts of the building. Students may expect that food or beverages outside of the designated area will be confiscated.

Corridors

All students, except seniors with privileges, are required to have a pass in order to travel the halls during the school day. Classes are in session; therefore, students need to pass quietly from area to area. Students are not allowed to loiter in the halls. Middle School students need to use the appropriate corridors to pass from class to class in order to minimize disruption to high school classes; high school students are expected to do the same.

Complying with Requests of Adults

Students are expected to comply with requests made of them by the adults in the building, and to do so without argument.