Appropriate Prom Attire

Hernando High School Principal Ken Pritz got some complaints from parents after the school's homecoming this year.

Some adults worried that a few necklines and backlines plunged way too low and slits crept way too far for a high school event.

But when Pritz tried this week to institute a dress code for formal events - starting with this year's prom on April 4 - he fielded complaints of a different sort.

"Because I'm the father of five sons, I wasn't aware that ladies go and order their dresses five months ahead of time," Pritz said. "When that information came to light I realized I should have made this decision earlier."

Concerned parents and students explained to Pritz that by this time of year, most prom gowns have been ordered, delivered and, when necessary, altered. The gowns can cost several hundred dollars and can't be returned once they've been altered.

So Pritz agreed to develop the code with the help of students and parents and have it in place for next year instead. However, he didn't rule out asking students to cover up this year if their outfits are too revealing. He also is asking students and parents who have already purchased their dresses to contact him.

"I think he came to the right conclusion," said Donna Brooks, whose daughter Morgan is a senior at Hernando High this year and purchased her gown back in January.

Pritz said he hasn't had any complaints about his desire to set standards outlining what's appropriate at formal school events, however. In his first year as principal at Hernando High, he said there doesn't appear to be a set policy and it's time to put one in place.

"I'm not a prude. But there does have to be some standards," Pritz said. "I haven't had anybody disagree with me."

Dress codes have been a touchy issue in the district. Many elementary schools have for years required students to wear khaki pants and knit polo shirts.

But the school board last July backed off a proposal to extend the code to middle and high schools after parents and students complained. One parent event threatened a lawsuit.

Superintendent Wayne Alexander said he hadn't considered a policy for formalwear.

"You should dress appropriately for the activity," Alexander said.

Pritz said he won't be puritanical when it comes to setting sartorial standards.

"I'm not going to be ridiculous," he said. "My major concern is plunging necklines and really low backs that reveal part of the body that don't need to be revealed."

At least one other local school has a similar code. Central High School provides a list of guidelines for prom attire, said Shelby Gallagher, a 17-year-old senior trying on a gown at Patricia's Boutique in Brooksville on Friday.

"They're pretty fair about it," Gallagher said.

Central High principal Dennis McGeehan and Springstead High principal Susan Duval couldn't be reached Friday.

Nature Coast Technical High principal Tizzy Schoelles said she hasn't felt the need to put a code in place. Students show up in appropriate attire, though she did say there were two dresses "that caught the eyes of many people last year" and she might consider a dress code if that become a concerning trend.

Individual schools do have the ability to set and enforce a code of conduct, school board attorney Paul Carland said.

The best strategy is to make sure parents and students have the guidelines in advance of the event, "so when they're shopping they know what the standards are," Carland said.

Because attending an event like homecoming or prom is considered "a privilege, not a right," students can be turned away - or at least asked to cover up before entering - if they're outfit is deemed a violation of the code, Carland said.

When it comes to gown fashion, designers definitely try to increase the drama factor with low necklines, high slits and cutouts, said Patricia Lambright, owner of Patricia's Boutique in Brooksville.

Lambright, who sold 850 dresses last prom season and hopes to break 1,000 this year, said she typically doesn't order gowns she thinks reveal too much. That way, girls aren't tempted to buy something that's less than classy and that could get them in trouble with school administrators.

But even a relatively modest dress can be revealing if the fit isn't right, she said.

"I have no problem saying that's a little low, or how about we sew the slit up," Lambright said. "I want to try to help my girls dress like a lady. You can still look beautiful without showing everything."

Most of the time, they heed her advice.

"Sometimes they don't," Lambright said. "I do think girls have taken advantage of the fact there wasn't a quote dress code and went off the deep end."

But she warned administrators not to set "unrealistic mandates" that limit girls' freedom of expression.

"It's about what their dream is, after all," Lambright said.

Morgan Brooks, the Hernando High senior and a sales associate at Patricia's, is wearing a red, bejeweled satin gown with lots of slits in the midriff.

She said she understands the need for some standards but felt confident her dress was OK.

"I think this would pass," she said Friday as she stood in front of a mirror at Patricia's wearing the same dress, though in a different color. "My dad approved it."