Apparently, Northampton Area School District's proposed new dress and grooming policy needs a makeover.

So, it's back to committee for Policy 221.

The Northampton Area School Board voted 7-1 Monday night to remand the proposed student dress code, which has generated heated opinions around the district, to the policy committee.

The present school dress code remains in effect through the 2013-14 school year, said NASD Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik.

A presentation on the proposed kindergarten through 12th grade dress code will not be made at the 6:30 p.m. March 25 school board meeting, which will be held per usual in the administration building. It was to have been held in the Northampton Area High School auditorium.

Additional folding chairs were set up Monday night in the administration building meeting room to accommodate an estimated 50 district parents and students, none of whom spoke once school board Vice President Jane Erdo announced she would introduce an addendum to the March 11 agenda.

"The dress code policy will be sent back to the policy committee for review and possible creation of a committee involving all stake-holders," Erdo said.

Yet-to-be-scheduled "small-group" meetings of parents, students, teachers and administrators are intended to solicit input into the proposed school dress code, a version of which may or may not be implemented for the 2014-15 school year.

Erdo's proposal came as somewhat of a bombshell for at least one other board member.

"How was this decision arrived at to put this on the back burner?" asked board member Jean Rundle. "I hadn't heard anything about this."

"I said I was willing to do it [a new dress code] for the following year," Erdo responded. "August is right around the corner. There isn't enough time."

"I think it's blatantly obvious that a lot of people have a lot of interest in this. We need to step back a bit," said board member Jennifer Miller.

"The majority of the people are not against the dress code," claimed board member Judy Odenwelder. "They like to see it something less structured than what we have now [in the proposal]."

"You will have ample opportunity in your small-group forums to make comments," said board member Dr. Michael Baird.

Baird added that he recently visited district schools. "Myself, personally – I was appalled by what I saw. I saw kids that were more dressed to go to the beach. That I didn't like," he said. "At church this Sunday, I had a 35-minute discussion with six or seven persons during coffee hour."

"A lot of what I heard is that 'My son or daughter's a jeans and T-shirt person.' You're going to have to fight through that," said board member Darin Arthofer.

"We tried to speculate on what the parents were going to say. And that's why it [Policy 221] got to eight pages," said Baird.

"I want to listen at these meetings and not talk," he said.

"I want you to write that down – because it's difficult for us not to talk," Miller joked to Baird.

"Bob Yanders [NASD director of operations] will be there with duct tape," Baird quipped.

"We're not getting rid of it [the dress code proposal]," Miller said. "We're not throwing it out. It's not going to disappear."

"You'll be hearing a lot about this over the next few months," said Kovalchik, adding the policy has an impact on 5,500 students, 10,000 parents and 600 NASD employees.

"The [policy] committee is going to have to have some kind of plan of action," Kovalchik said.

"It's really the power of the people," Miller said following the vote, preceded by a 45-minute discussion.

"When you come out in force – and I notice students here – you see government in action," Erdo said to those in attendance. "You've spent your gas money. You've taken your time and it's not gone unnoticed."

Baird thanked NASD Assistant Superintendent Jeanette Gilliland for helping to put forth the dress code policy and parents for attending Monday night's meeting.

"I'm happy that people are involved. That's why I'm on this board," Miller said.

A facebook page, "Fight the NASD Dress Code," posted Feb. 22, had 673 "likes" as of the March 11 meeting.