Student Dress Codes? (1969)

Unrest in the Southwest

Source: Plain Brown Watermelon, Bellaire High School Newspaper, Oct. 1969, Vol 1, #1

Things are bubbling out there in the
southwest area high schools. Here’s a brief, and admittedly
incomplete rundown on a few incidents which occurred during he last
two weeks.

At Bellaire a student council sponsored
referendum was presented to the student body on hair and dress
regulations. The question was, who should have the right to make
those decisions: the administration, the student council, or the
individual? The result of the referendum (representing only about
two-thirds of the enrollment since some teachers refused to hand out
the ballots) was as fallows: 1,520 for the individual, 750 for the
student council, 450 for the administration. In response, Bellaire
Principal Harlan Andrews declared the referendum null and void,
,saying that it had not been authorized by him. Only a week before
Andrews had been urging students to channel their grievances through
the student council.

Leafletting has occurred at almost all
southwest high schools. The most frequent point of dissent is the
hair and dress code, but as little ground is gained in this fight the
range of issues invariably broadens. At Spring Woods a test case is
being prepared to challenge the constitutionality of grooming
restrictions.

Though there have been numerous
expulsions and suspensions, the only reported arrest took place
before school in the cafeteria at Madison High School. Madison
students had requested help from Bellaire in preparing and
distributing leaflets, and on Wednesday of last week two Bellaire
students, a boy and a girl were busted for leafletting at Madison.
The girl was later released as a juvenile, but the boy, Harrell
Graham, was charged with trespassing and loitering. His trial is set
for 11a.m. October 16 at Corporation Court, 61 Reisner Street.
Bellaire’s Watermelon Committee is encouraging as many people as
possible to attend the trial in a show of support for Harrell.
Contact Space City News for the room number.

And at Sharpstown “Phlashlyte,” the
independent newspaper that caused all the uproar last year,
reappeared on campus.

All of which proves, friends, that the
times indeed are a’changing.

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