DALTON, Ga. — Concerned that educators have grown lax about the school dress code, Whitfield County Board of Education members on Thursday unanimously voted to tighten dress standards and to send a stern warning to principals and teachers about enforcing the rules.

“The first year (of the dress code), everybody got real serious about it,” Vice Chairman Chuck Oliver said. “When they realized how hard it was, they slacked off. It is hard, but you still have to try. I don’t think we are trying.”

The dress code changes are minor — bandannas were banned and the description of the neckline was reworded — but the message is major, board members said.

Chairman Tim Trew asked Superintendent Katie Brochu to meet with all the principals to emphasize the board’s concern about the issue. But Richard Schoen, executive director of assessment and accountability, said the assistant superintendent of student services plans to meet with principals at each school.

Mr. Trew said many people don’t want to go to a school uniform, but that may be the solution if educators keep struggling to enforce the dress code. Some critics say uniforms stifle students’ individuality and creativity.

“Expression is not a problem,” Mr. Trew said. “Exposure is a problem.”

He said he received a letter from a group of concerned women stating that their grandchildren were not being compelled to observe the dress code.

“These (nearly a dozen ladies) are pillars of the community,” he said. “And they are noticing that their grandchildren are not following the rules.”

Board member John Thomas defended educators, saying it’s hard to enforce a dress code. He said teachers would have to stand at the school door and ask students to unzip sweaters or open jackets to see if their shirts or blouses meet the requirements.

Parent Dionne Evans, who has three sons in school, said she preferred uniforms to a dress code.

“It’s costing me a lot of money to buy school clothes each year,” she said.

The five-member board also unanimously approved changes to the school discipline code.

Most changes involved procedures for referring students to the office. Members added a disciplinary category for falsifying a claim or failing to report inappropriate behavior toward a student by any school employee.

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