As parents get ready to send their children back to school next month, a trip to the shopping mall or school supply store is likely on the list of things to do for most families.

In an effort to keep people up to speed on any changes in the school’s student policies, including the dress code, Niles Community Schools Supt. Dan Applegate provided a few reminders and updates about dress codes and other student policies throughout the district.

Applegate said while each building has its own student handbook, district leaders are taking steps to keep dress codes as consistent as possible between buildings while also being mindful of the different needs for each building.

“Due to two of our strategic planning goals, improving our external communication and creating a positive learning environment, we wanted to assist parents in navigating our student-parent handbooks across schools in the district,” he said. “While buildings will continue to have their unique personalities, some areas, such as dress code and cell phone use, needed to be updated to provide clarity and minimize disruption to the educational environment.”

Applegate said no major changes were made to any of the dress code policies, although the board did change some wording of policies in order to make it easier to understand.

For instance, Applegate said the board addressed the policy regarding leggings being worn and extended it from just leggings to other tight-fitting pants, like yoga pants.

Students who wear leggings or other tight fitting pants are required to have them covered by a shirt, blouse, sweater or skirt, according to the dress code. Also, the covering must extend past the student’s fingertips when the student’s arms are extended by his or her legs. Shorts and skirts must also adhere to the same fingertip rule.

“The fingertip measurement reduces some of the ambiguity in last year’s dress code,” he said. “Parents should also know that they should not send their children to school wearing pajama bottoms made of fleece or flannel.”

Michelle Asmus, principal at Howard-Ellis, said she has had very few issues with children violating dress codes, less than a handful each year.

“I think our parents do a wonderful job of getting their children dressed for school,” she said.

As for cell phone usage, Applegate said the district’s policy remains unchanged with students being able to carry them during school hours, but not using them during class time.

“Students will see tighter control of the use of cell phones in the learning environment but still allowing them to communicate during the school day,” he said. “It is very important that parents and students know the dress code and cell phone requirements for the schools they attend. These can be found on each school’s website but they can also be found in the parent-student handbooks issued annually.”

Applegate said the school board reviews handbooks after each school year and that these adjustments are the result of that process. The board was expected to adopt Niles High School’s handbook Monday night.