LISBON — The Lisbon School Committee voted 4-0 Tuesday to allow high school students to wear hats and shorter shirts.
Under the approved dress code change, students will be allowed to show up to two to three fingers of midriff. The change was brought before the board by two seniors on the Student Voice Committee.
“On behalf of the student body, they thank you,” quipped Principal Susan Magee after the vote.
Magee told the committee that relaxing the dress code would also help staff and administrators.
Several members expressed concerns about both changes, but ultimately decided to approve it after discussing it with Magee. The committee agreed to revisit the dress code in a couple of months to evaluate the change.
The change will not impact the elementary or middle school dress codes.
The committee also approved a new diploma with distinction program and a world history course requirement in the high school.
Under the new program, members of the Class of 2026 and younger will have the option of pursuing a catch-all liberal arts distinction, a humanities distinction, a math and science distinction or a fine arts distinction, which includes both art and music courses.
To earn the humanities distinction, for example, a student would need to earn at least a 3.0 grade point average in all English, social studies and world language courses, and pursue six additional credits in those topics. The grade point average requirement is the same for all four diplomas with distinction.
Currently, students have the opportunity to take up to 32 credits in four years. School staff and committee members hope the new program will encourage students to take more classes.
Beginning next year, all sophomores will be required to take a world history course, a requirement previously removed following budget cuts.
In other news, Superintendent Richard Green told the committee that vaping sensors have been installed in bathrooms of the high school.
“It has helped deter, we believe, the amount of use in school,” Green said.
School procedures say the student must be in possession of a vaping pen in order to receive disciplinary action, according to Green. All students who are in the bathroom when the sensor goes off are searched, and parents are notified.
Teachers have reported fewer students are leaving the classroom to use the bathroom, according to Magee.
Director of Transportation and Operations Allen Ouellette told the committee that some of the water fixtures tested in Lisbon schools showed high levels of lead.
All Maine schools are required to test school water fixtures for lead this year under state law. Administrators have received initial results from all four Lisbon schools and will send a letter to inform the community soon.
Ouellette said they are retesting the faucets that showed high levels of lead.
“There were no concerns when it came to our drinking fountains,” Ouellette said. “None of those have come back positive, or high in lead. It’s all utilitarian receptacles for the water.”
Some of these receptacles will be replaced, he confirmed. Others will be marked indicating the water from the fixtures are not for drinking.
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