• Font Size    

Featured Slideshows

Celebrities Separated At Birth?
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Some NJ Schools Ban Students From Wearing Hoodies

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +
Sep 12, 2008 11:56 am US/Eastern

Some NJ Schools Ban Students From Wearing Hoodies

'Staple Of Student Fashion' Prohibited; Violators Suspended

HAMILTON TOWNSHIPS, N.J. (CBS/AP) ― The hoodie, a staple of student wardrobes, has landed on a lists of fashion don'ts in some New Jersey schools.

Some schools have banned the big sweat shirts, citing security concerns.

The say that contraband -- cell phones, iPods and worse -- could be smuggled in their deep pockets. What's more, schoolhouse scofflaws who are skipping class or breaking into lockers can conceal their identity from hallway security cameras by pulling up their hoods.

At William Davies Middle School in Atlantic County's Hamilton Township, R.J. Hoffman was told on the first day of school that his sweat shirt was not allowed. He left it in his locker, he told The Press of Atlantic City for Friday's editions.

Administrators at the school say they're not targeting any article of clothing with a hood -- just bulky outerwear.

The New Jersey School Boards Association, which compiles statistics on some school trends in the state, does not have data on hoodie policies.

But spokesman Frank Belluscio said limitations on hoodies fit in with an emerging trend in dress codes: Schools are stopping short of requiring uniforms, but they are setting stricter limits on what clothes are
acceptable.

In addition to banning bulky hoodies, the school board in Absecon has banned backpacks from classrooms.

But superintendent James Giaquinto said that one upgrade over the summer should make it easier for students to comply with the tighter requirements.

"We have new, larger lockers for the students this year," he said, "so there should be plenty of room."

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

WCBSTV.com's Most Popular Pages

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.