Forgive me if this has all been said before.

I don't know if our county schools should or should not adopt and enforce a new, more strict dress code that would have all shirts tucked in, belts in belt loops, no saggy-baggies, no book bags, etc...

I know Dr. John DeCotis and admire and respect his leadership. Bless you, Dr. DeCotis! Please know that we keep you, our school board, and all our school administrators and especially all our teachers in our constant prayers. You are truly heroes, doing an almost impossible job with dignity and even success. Again, God Bless you all.

I said I don't know if we should adopt the new dress code or not. I do know that well-behaved-good-grade students have expressed to me that they are not for the new code. Their sentiment seems to be that it won't help any. They seem to think that the vast majority of “good students” are going to be “punished” because of the few “bad” ones. They tell me that they think that if someone would still want to “do harm” in school, in reality — despite a more strict dress code — they could.

I honor those students and respect those opinions.

On the flip side, it does seem to me that anything close to “gang wear” or anything “indecent” has no place in the public arena of our schools.

Back to the students with whom I have had conversation about all this... Their main concern is that whatever is decided and passed as official policy must be administered and judged equally. For to have the “good kids” keep the rules — even if they don't like them — and to have others “get away with” obvious violations, is a “joke” that breeds hostility and resentment in even the “good kids”... which is NOT a joke and is exactly the opposite of the intended outcome of the more strict codes, which is a contented student body respecting the rights and privileges of others while getting the best education possible.

Now, we all want to Do Something. We want to show our responsibility by not just letting Colorado and Conyers slide without response. Amen to that! But, obviously, what we do and how we do it is important.

Here's my question: Wouldn't it be most effective to work on our “school problems” from the inside out? It does seem that a strict new dress code assumes that changing the outside of our students will somehow (miraculously?) also change the inside. I may still agree that sometimes “Clothes make the person,” but more often not.

And what could be done from the inside out? What do you think about these as a few of the possibilities?

1. Do all we can in school to teach fertile minds in such a way so that they master the subject matter. This goes far beyond “presenting the material,” of course.

2. Do all we can in school to teach fertile minds in such a way so that they master far more than academics, but also respect, honor, decency and self-esteem. This includes treating and teaching our faculties and staffs in this way, adding curriculum components with these themes, hiring teachers who show themselves as examples of these virtues, administering discipline fairly and justly, and whatever else we can give permission to our schools to do toward this end.

3. Do all we can to educate parents (even make certain things mandatory for parents perhaps). And prove to parents that our schools are open to parental involvement — including being open to the advice and counsel from parents concerning what might be best for their child at school. Parents can't be dictators, of course, but they can be integral partners on the educational team.

4. Last on this short list, but certainly not least — Make a county-wide rule, policy and law that school events cannot take place on Wednesday nights. Then encourage students to seek out a church, synagogue, mosque, or some other moral-teaching institution on those Wednesday nights to seek further development in the areas of morals, character, society, relationship with God (gasp! Yes, even use the word!). And make it clear why this night is special.

Don't just give the kids and parents a night off! It would then become no more meaningful than the “Moment of Silence” which was supposed to be a time for private-personal-silent prayer, but has become a joke of its own.

Who knows, maybe even the Little League and the soccer league and all other leagues will do their part to save society (I'm serious!) and realize what they are doing is great, but not as important as what our local churches might be doing on Wednesday nights, and even they will call “time out” on Wednesday nights.

Then I think we'd be getting somewhere!

Then the changes would be from the inside out, and don't you think they would be more dramatic, lasting, and have a much greater impact on society.

To those of you dear, committed citizens and servants of our community who will make the decision on the dress code, please know our prayers are with you. And please know that we will abide by what you decide. And we may have to change three or four times before we get it right.

But regardless of what dress code we end up with, what are we going to do about building our children from the inside out?

Kollmeyer is senior pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Fayetteville.

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