Letters: Jumping to conclusions on Rogers dress code

Jumping to conclusions on Rogers dress code

Nowhere in the proposed dress code policy does the word “pajamas” appear.

Rogers High School’s Student Integrity Board and academic advisor have spent the past school year studying and modifying the NPS dress code policy. The goal was to move the policy from the negative — what they cannot wear — to the positive and what they can wear. The “pajama” controversy is a distraction, a talking point that Newport This Week heard and, as they are want to do with anything relating to Newport Public Schools, blew out of proportion.

The new dress code will end over-policing of the female students’ bodies. It will provide easier guidelines for the faculty and staff, and it will cut down on dean referrals and reduce lost classroom time. As a Rogers parent and a member of the School Committee, I have been speaking with the students. The students feel this policy gives them a voice in decision making, making them feel heard and valued. It gives them autonomy. The students do not think pajamas will be an issue, and it’s frankly insulting that adults think so little of their decision making and sartorial choices to turn this into an issue. And if the policy isn’t working down the round, it can be changed.

It appears that a lot of the negative reactions are from people who are not in our schools, have not seen the new policy, and are making snap decisions from a news article in Newport This Week that does not properly represent the new policy.

What message are we sending our students? “Use your voice!” (Students use their voice) “Wait, no, not like that!” We can either trust the student to the occasion and use this new student-led policy to empower themselves, or we can tell them we do not trust them to make decisions about their own clothing (within the guidelines of the dress code). The latter will only continue to send the message that the adults in Newport do not value student input and voices.

The proposed policy was sent to students, faculty, and parents for feedback. It has been vetted, and it aligns with existing policies throughout the country. I thank the students for taking the lead and hope in the future they continue to look at student policies and bring changes to the School Committee.

Kendra Wilson Muenter, Newport School Committee

What's going on with the Newport City Council

It seems like no one else wants to say it so I will. The current mayor of Newport and Councilor Mark Aramli don’t have the residents of our city’s best interest when it comes to their decision making and I would like to suggest to all Newport voters that we not make the same mistake again. The first strike was trying to bring a lobbyist in from Providence, one of his buddies if I had to guess and now wants to bring in some random guy to be the city manger who has exactly as much experience as I do running a city. None.

When we see the ideas come up that don’t align with what works best for the city it’s time to take action and remove the problem and these problems started shortly after two newcomers took office. The noise level is growing around Newport and people are openly wondering what’s going on with the City Council and you don’t need to look very far to see why.

Hans Bogaars, Newport

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Letters: Jumping to conclusions on Rogers dress code