On Tuesday, March 5th, the monthly school board meeting commenced, but this time the seats were lined with our own Brunswick County teachers wearing their favorite pair of blue jeans.
Recently a policy was suggested by the Brunswick County Board of Education about changing the teacher dress code to prohibit the wearing of any sort of denim. Unhappy with this decision, local teachers gathered together to speak their minds.
The room bustled with the sound of chatter from all the people coming in support of the opposition to the proposed dress code change. The rows of chairs were filled with teachers from across the county as well as students and parents standing behind the teachers, all in support.
The room came to a silence only interrupted by the occasional murmur as the school board sat themselves. The meeting was called to order by the Chairman of the Board, Steven Barger, followed by a moment of silence and the Presentation of Colors and Pledge of Allegiance by West Brunswick JROTC.
Finally, the Public Address portion of the meeting began with West Brunswick’s beloved teacher Kourtney Saavedra being called to the podium first. In her three-minute presentation, Saavedra introduced herself and her background, solidifying her perspective as a Brunswick County teacher. She then presented her argument against the dress code policy. During this, teachers, parents and students all stood in unity with her. The end of Saavedra’s presentation was concluded with a hefty round of applause from the audience.
Following Saavedra’s speech was local and chair of the Brunswick Democratic Party, Shelley Allen. A former teacher and administrator who holds her PhD in the education field also went up and spoke her mind to the board, paralleling Saavedra’s earlier presentation. Similarly, the group stood at attention for her presentation and gave her a round of applause as well.
The rest of the night was filled with three concerned parents who brought their stories and hopeful solutions to the board’s attention, along with the rounding out of the night with the presentation of awards to the custodial team from Town Creek Middle School.
Though the outcome of the meeting’s topics is still undecided by the school board, voices have still been heard, and decisions will be made within the coming months.
