South Putnam dress code to remain 'conservative'

After some discussion at the South Putnam Community School Board meeting Monday night, the board voted to exclude a change in the high school's handbook which would no longer require covering leggings.

The school board annually approves the handbooks for each school. The changes suggested for the 2015-16 student handbook sparked some discussion.

Previously, any tights or leggings had to have be covered by a skirt or similar article of clothing that meets the length standards.

The current dress code reads as follows in the handbook, "Spandex and underwear may not be worn as part of regular outside clothing; leggings may be worn under garments that meet the dress code for length."

High school principal Kieth Puckett said the revision boils down to the difficulty of being fair to all students when it comes to attire.

"We've tried to be really conservative on our dress code, and we are. We don't apologize for it. But, different kinds of tights -- yoga pants, leggings, jeggings -- are everywhere, and the enforcement is real difficult because a pair of tights that are jeans may be more form fitting than a pair of yoga pants," Puckett explained.

"We intend to just step out of this business and just leave it up to their parents."

Puckett said the final decision would obviously be up to the school board, but he believes his female faculty members would favor continuing the more conservative approach to the dress code.

"It's hard to enforce what those different types of pants are. What's OK and what's not OK? From the enforcement side of it, it bothers me. We pride ourselves on being fair, firm and consistent but when it comes to these things, it's really tough to be consistent," Puckett explained.

"We intend to step out of it, unless you want us to stay the way we are."

Board members voted to approve the handbook with the change in dress code omitted.

Meanwhile, Beau Battin with Scorpion Coatings and vendor Mike Fisher with Maxxlife Protective Coatings discussed the process of coating the concrete entryway to the high school gymnasium.

Superintendent Bruce Bernhardt reached out to Scorpion Coatings last summer to get more information about treating the concrete entryway because the concrete is starting to deteriorate.

The initial quote brought before the board for about $15,000 to only work on the front and sides of the entryway.

School board president Wesley Hacker noted if the arch is being worked on, they should also coat the pillars as well.

Fisher explained the project is expected to take up to two weeks, depending on the amount of deterioration. A majority of the time is spent patching the concrete to prepare for the coating.

Once applied, the coating will not fade, peel or chip and comes with a 10-year labor warranty, with any needed repairs done free of charge.

A new quote will be brought before the board at the next meeting to include the pillars.

The board voted to resurface the track through Beynon Sports Company at the cost of $272,310.54. Bernhardt said the last time the track was resurfaced was in 1994.

This process would scrape off the rubber surface and remove one and a half inches of the concrete underneath. A new layer of black top will be put in place and a new layer of rubber surface.

Board member Angie Nichols said while it seems like a lot of money now, dealing with the process now will be more efficient in the long run.

In other business, the board:

* Approved the purchase of two buses at the cost of $183,202.

* Approved the purchase of a new cafeteria serving line in the high school from Schert Food Service Equipment in the amount of $46,766.

* Approved a partnership with Educational Services Company for budget consulting. Bernhardt said he has worked with the company in the past, and a representative would be on hand to help with the budget process for two half-days.

* Approved two field trips for the FFA, including a trip to Kings Island and a trip to the State FFA contest in Lafayette.

* Approved the following resignations: librarian Amy Duvall, math teacher Jeff Duvall, FACS teacher Kristin Scott, English teacher Anna Nickell, part-time custodian Lorna Rigney, part-time food service employee Jeslyn Ronan and Nikki Watson as middle school cheer coach.

* Approved the following new hires: Tiffany Douglass as science teacher, Baylor Gardner as English teacher, Michael Fenneman as math teacher, RaeAnn Kimmel as learning disabilities teacher, Megan Milner as English teacher, Trevor Yates as English teacher, Kacie Daugherty as middle school cheer coach and Elaine Bye as cross country assistant coach.

* Approved the hire of the following summer positions: Mark Carr and Lisa Tandy for mowing, Nancy Knapp and Austin Kirton as bus workers, and Traci Boyce, Hilarie Pistillie and Cheryl Tomaw as high school office workers.