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<p>PLYMOUTH &#8212; Although Wednesday&#8217;s meeting of the Wyoming Valley West School Board was moved to the high school building to provide room for parents wanting to speak about the dress code, the increased attendance anticipated did not materialize.</p><p>Several dozen parents spoke in favor of a change to the code before the meeting, but only two parents addressed the board.</p><p>Autumn Minkiewicz of Edwardsville, whose daughters Emilee Degood and Victoria O&#8217;Konski both attend school in the district, told the board that over 700 people have signed a petition to amend the &#8220;dress and grooming code.&#8221;</p><p>Passionately addressing the board, Minkiewicz said the dress code in its present form stifled creativity, opened the door for bullying and detracted from education.</p><p>She said with more than 70 percent of students living below the poverty level, many parents cannot afford to purchase two sets of clothes &#8212; one for school and one for play.</p><p>Even laundering the clothes, she said, was a challenge for many of those who lived in the district.</p><p>&#8220;Many of our parents don&#8217;t even have washers and dryers,&#8221; she said. &#8220;This is a burden for them.&#8221;</p><p>Minkiewicz also said she believed that the dress code put an increased burden on district teachers, who had the added responsibility of enforcing the code.</p><p>&#8220;The dress code interferes with the educational process,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And when kids are sent to (in-school suspension), they miss time in the classroom when they could have been learning.&#8221;</p><p>Minkiewicz, whose children have dyed their hair, questioned the meaning of &#8220;natural hair color&#8221; contained in the code.</p><p>&#8220;As soon as someone dyes their hair, if fails to be natural color,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Who in this room really has natural color?&#8221;</p><p>Following Minkiewicz, Nicole Wenrich told the board that her 11-year-old daughter, Andreana, was afraid to attend school for fear of being criticized for her clothing.</p><p>Wenrich showed the board a pair of pants that she said her daughter had worn without incident for two months before being told by a teacher that they were not acceptable.</p><p>&#8220;She called me in a panic and said that a teacher had said the pants were too stretchy,&#8221; said Wenrich.</p><p>Wenrich said her daughter has an individualized education plan and found it hard to focus in the classroom.</p><p>The increased attention on what she was wearing, Wenrich said, made it even harder for her to learn.</p><p>&#8220;In my daughter&#8217;s words, &#8216;As grown adults, you should know better and not make people feel bad,&#8217;&#8221; she said.</p><p>Board member Gary Evans said the board would not make any comment on the issue at the meeting.</p><p>&#8220;We have a dress code committee,&#8221; said Evans. &#8220;We&#8217;re still reviewing the code.&#8221;</p><p>Board Vice President David Usavage emphasized the dress code and bullying are two different issues. Bullying in any form and for any reason, he said, should be reported.</p><p>In another matter, the board approved a preliminary budget with revenue and expenditures of $74,675,357 for the 2016-17 school year to be forwarded to the state.</p><p>The next regular meeting of the board will be at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Autumn Minkiewicz of Edwardsville, left, hands copies of the Dallas School District dress code policies to Wyoming Valley West School Board member Gary Evans at Wednesday&#8217;s school board meeting in Plymouth. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_wvwschoolboard01-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Autumn Minkiewicz of Edwardsville, left, hands copies of the Dallas School District dress code policies to Wyoming Valley West School Board member Gary Evans at Wednesday&#8217;s school board meeting in Plymouth. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_wvwschoolboard02-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Nicole Wenrich of Kingston shows the Wyoming Valley West school board a pair of pants her daughter, Andreana, wears during Wednesday&#8217;s school board meeting in Plymouth. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_wvwschoolboard02-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Nicole Wenrich of Kingston shows the Wyoming Valley West school board a pair of pants her daughter, Andreana, wears during Wednesday&#8217;s school board meeting in Plymouth. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wyoming Valley West School Board hears dress code concerns