Thursday's Internet Edition, September 02, 2010.

And don’t even think about wearing flip-flops.

“We spend too much time gluing them back together,” SMS assistant principal Paula LeMasters said. “They buy them for a dollar and someone else steps on them in the hall and they break.”

LeMasters said the new dress code was in the works before Kevin Campbell, SMS principal the past three years, resigned to take a similar position in Wood County.

As soon as the new principal, David Gaul, was hired, LeMasters said he gave the new dress code his stamp of approval.

LeMasters said it was important to let parents know before they did their back-to-school shopping.

“A lot of this has already been in effect,” she said. “But we wanted parents to know before they start buying school clothes that there are a few changes.”

In addition to the flip-flop ban, all shirts worn by boys or girls must have sleeves. Tank tops, muscle shirts and spaghetti straps are not allowed.

Another change involves the length of dresses, skirts or shorts. The length must equal or exceed the student’s fingertips when their hands are hanging naturally at their sides and should come within three inches of the knee.

The new dress code also outlaws pajama pants, sleep pants, lounge pants or dorm pants.

“We didn’t have that until this year,” LeMasters said. “They just started wearing pajama pants to school.”

Much of the existing dress code will continue, including a ban on clothing that features alcohol or tobacco advertising.

“It’s been that way for years,” she said. “We just wanted to make some changes to improve the learning environment.”

Roane County High School Principal David Tupper implemented a new dress code at RCHS when he arrived eight years ago.

“It has worked very well,” he said.

The high school dress code also prohibits sleeveless shirts and tops and requires shorts and skirts be within five inches of the top of the kneecap.

“The intent is to focus attention on academics,” Tupper said. “It helps take away some of the hormonal action that might occur.”

He said having a dress code helps in other areas as well.

“I think it has helped standardize everyone who walks through our doors so we’re not segregated into haves and have-nots,” he said.

Tupper said the new dress code at Spencer Middle should benefit the high school as well.

“It will help our incoming freshmen immensely to have some uniformity so they know what to expect,” he said.

LeMasters said households of SMS students would be receiving automated phone calls to alert parents of the new dress code. The complete dress code will be posted on the school’s Web site at edline.net/pages/spencer_middle_school.