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Duncanville Superintendent Goes On YouTube To Defend 170 Dress Code Suspensions

Duncanville ISD
Students say the Duncanville ISD school code hadn't been enforced all year.

The Duncanville ISD superintendent appears in a YouTube video in which he defends the suspensions of about 170 high school students who didn't follow the school dress code.

"Those students were handled appropriately according to our school district's policy," Alfred Ray said in the video. "I applaud the administrative staff there for making sure they did things in an appropriate fashion."

Ray points out that a small percentage of Duncanville High School students didn't comply with the district dress code.

Ray invited students who have concerns about the dress code to meet with him at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday at Duncanville High.

Original post from The Associated Press: School dress code violations have earned more than 150 Duncanville High School students a suspension.

Students say the suspensions were handed out Wednesday when code violators were brought to the school cafeteria and then sent home.

The school code requires tucked-in shirts with collars, non-sagging pants, belts and closed-toe shoes.

But some students say the dress code hadn't been enforced all year. The principal of the more than 3,700-student campus about 10 miles southwest of Dallas, Andre Smith, disagrees. He says officials have high expectations for their students.

Police were summoned to the school later Wednesday after a student food fight but Duncanville city officials say they're not aware of any arrests.

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.