By Aly Miranda |
To encourage students to follow dress code, principal Melvin Echard has been making announcements asking students to stop sagging.
“I really liked that he made announcements about it. It shows that he cares about the school, its students, parents and teachers and the outlook of the school,” DATA teacher Katy Philbrick said.
For Mr. Echard, his concern is avoiding negative stereotypes.
“I believe it is disrespectful to other people and gives life stereotypes. I am unaware of any positive association with sagging pants,” Echard said. ” This form of outward expression is not copied by successful people, but is prevalent in gangs and prison cultures. I believe that at this age in life, our students can achieve great things if they believe they can, and set themselves on the right path.”
Echard said that the number of students that actually sag is relatively low; that most students do not follow this negative stereotype.
“I believe it is simply foolish, to say the least. I don’t particularly like the ‘underclothing’ genre of it. It makes them look awful,” sophomore Darcell Bios said.
Some even tell their friends to stop.
“I have a friend who sags and I’ll tell him he looks dumb,” DATA senior Josh Thomas said. “If your butt is showing, something is wrong with you. You just look dumb.”
Echard says he will continue to correct this “eyesore,” giving positive feedback as the problem is fixed.
“I believe students like accountability and the more we correct these types of behaviors and remind them that it’s not cool, they appreciate the fact that you have acknowledged them and that you care,” Echard said. ” The intrinsic reward is the relationship that is built and the continual positive feedback given.”