By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

It had always been considered good etiquette — often a sign of respect — to remove a hat once inside a public building, restaurant and house of worship.

Times change, attitudes change.

Teens Joseph Deschenes and Lucas Gosselin felt the time was right to again float the idea of allowing hats and hoods to be worn insideLake Region High School.

Others tried before and failed.

Doing their homework paid off for Deschenes and Gosselin. Their presentation, which was packed with survey results and research as to how other schools address the issue, convinced the SAD 61 School Board to modify the dress code, allowing hat wearing inside the walls of LRHS.

Hoods, however, remain a no-no. The dress code (last amended in 2020) prohibits hoods to be worn up on the head during instructional hours — when a student enters the building and ends at 3:30 p.m.

School Board chairperson Janice Barter moved the revision, but noted that hats will be subject to the same standards clothing must meet.

Inappropriateincludes hats/clothing that promotes or encourages profanity, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, violence, pornography or racial intolerance. 

“A student with inappropriate clothing (hats included) will be directed to change and parents/guardians will be notified. Students refusing to comply will be considered insubordinate and discipline accordingly,” the dress code states.

Barter noted that if SAD 61 has to re-institute mask wearing, hats will not be allowed to be worn indoors during that period.

Superintendent Al Smith pointed out to students that “the process” of revising the dress code requires a second reading approval, which will come at the board’s Dec. 19 meeting. So, no hat wearing inside until then.

Smith admitted that enforcing a dress code, especially at the high school level, can be quite “challenging.” One issue has been female students wearing tops that leave their midriffs exposed — a violation of the dress code. Tighter enforcement of this rule will be done moving forward. 

Lesson in achieving change

Last year, English/Humanities teacher Miranda Shorty and student Kyan Macdonald designed a program to encourage teens to speak out regarding school environment, climate, culture, policy and experience.

“It is a fully inclusive program that students can join once for just one particular issue or join for the entire year to help with a multitude of issues raised by different people,” said Shorty, who serves as the Civil Rights Team advisor.

Students Joseph Deschense and Lucas Gosselin assumed the “issue leaders” role to seek a change in the longstanding Lake Region High School dress code regarding “hats and hoods” restrictions.

“They conducted their own data collection and research regarding hats and hoods in secondary education settings, including comparable settings around our state,” Shorty noted. “They met with the School Board’s Curriculum Committee and presented in front of the entirety of the school board. They also pulled together a team of supporters to promote their cause.”

Of the 215 students surveyed, 94% approved allowing hats to be worn indoors.

Teachers were asked, “Would you be comfortable removing enforcement of the ‘No Hats and Hoods’ policy from your expectations as faculty or staff in the building?” There were 50 responses with 74% supporting the change.

Deschenes and Gosselin pointed out to the School Board that hats are currently allowed in some cases — instructional and safety mainly in the Vocational Center, as well as religious or medical reasons.

Another argument was a policy change would likely improve student-teacher relationships — eliminating confrontation and inconsistent enforcement of the dress code and increasing positivity.

A survey question asked, “Do you feel that relationships between students and adults in the school are negatively impacted by enforcing the dress code?” 82.5% answered yes.

Students also found 15 nearby high schools do not have a hat policy, including Fryeburg Academy and Sacopee Valley, which send students to the Lake Region Vocational Center.

Ultimately, the School Board voted unanimously Monday to permit hat wearing indoors.

In other business

• Parking woes. At the Nov. 21 school board meeting, resident Peter Morrison suggested that since parking remains a problem on Kansas Road when a dance is held at Lake Region Middle School, officials might consider moving such functions to the high school where there is ample parking for parents waiting to pick up their sons and daughters.

Morrison had his driveway cut off by vehicles waiting.

Superintendent Smith said discussions regarding capital improvements included developing an additional parking lot on wooded land between LRMS and the high school softball field.

•Dollars don’t make sense. Because the public is given a three-minute time frame to make comments under “public participation,” resident Peter Morrison was back before the board Monday. This time, his topic was the school budget.

He questioned the rising number ($28 million in 2013 and $32 million in 2022) at a time that enrollment has decreased (1900 to 1700).

In talking with some parents, Morrison said they decided to either homeschool or send their children to private schools due to bullying, lack of support from administration, and concerns regarding curriculum.

He claimed that some parents who spoke out were often targets of retaliation.

•Quick decision. As winter approaches, it’s a matter of time before school officials will again be facing the big decision, “Do we call off school?” or “Do we delay for 2 hours?”

Superintendent Smith reminded the public that the decision has to be made by 5 a.m. since buses depart for pick up at 6 a.m. He added, “Ultimately, it’s parents’ decision whether to send their child to school or not.”