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Let’s talk school conduct, attire – for parents, says Rep. Parkinson

State Rep. Antonio Parkinson has a big personality and an even bigger voice. He’s hard to ignore, and that has never been more evident than during his recent media blitz explaining why school districts may need to implement a code of conduct and attire for parents.

Parkinson, whose district (98) includes Raleigh, plans to introduce legislation requiring school districts to devise a minimal standard code of conduct and dress to maintain respectful decorum on a school campus.

“I guess you never know what might catch fire and go viral on social media,” said Parkinson, a native of Oakland, Calif. “And to think, this all started with a meme. 

“The meme said, ‘Breaking news: schools are asking parents to wear two pairs of pajamas when they come up to the schools.’ I thought it was funny, but then, I started hearing horror stories from teachers and principals about not only what parents wear to a school, but also their behavior.”

When Parkinson appeared on local news and talk stations, he received an overwhelming response from educators in Arkansas and Mississippi. But when he appeared on “Fox and Friends,” he said, there was an abundance of support from places like New York and Houston, Texas.

“Of course, as I have mentioned in speaking on this matter, one principal told me about a parent coming up to her elementary school dressed in revealing sleepwear and parts of her body were hanging out there. There were small children in the hallway who saw this. And I began to think maybe we need a baseline code of conduct, a bare minimum standard to which parents must adhere – not only in their dress but in their conduct.”

Parkinson said he heard horror stories from teachers and administrators from all over the country. As it became evident that the issue struck a nerve and set off a vigorous debate, the conversation went from how parents dress to how they behave on a school campus.

“Teachers had stories about parents coming to the school fighting with teachers, students, cursing people, doing all kinds of crazy things,” said Parkinson. “Some parents walk up in a school smelling like marijuana, and when they leave, the office still smells like marijuana. It has other parents who walk in saying, ‘What kind of school are they running up here?’”

The sheer number of stories about parents behaving badly snowballed into what Parkinson feels is necessary to address a pervasive problem – legislation requiring school districts across the state of Tennessee to establish a set of rules for parents regarding their attire and their behavior on a school campus.

“Educators have been 100 percent behind the idea,” said Parkinson. “These established rules could act as a buffer between school personnel and parents. The guidelines would not be arbitrarily coming from teachers and leaders, themselves, but they would be set in place by the school district.”

Local principals who were asked for comment declined to make any statement, deferring to district administrators. Calls to the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association requesting comment remained unanswered by press time.

Raymond Fisher, the father of two elementary school students, said, “I’ve seen some rather objectionable dress by parents – rollers, house shoes, bonnets on their heads, and yes, pajamas and bathrobes – really, pajamas and bathrobes. I think a code of dress and conduct for parents will help everyone to know what is and is not appropriate or acceptable. 

“Our children need to understand that everything they see parents do is not good,” Fisher said. “I just wonder if taking up this issue in the Tennessee legislature is the way to address the problem. I think it should be left up to district officials. Passing a bill to require districts to create a code of conduct for parents may be seen as overreach. However, I do agree something should be put in place.”

A proposed bill from Parkinson has not yet materialized and is “still under consideration.”

Parkinson’s evolution from firefighter and ex-Marine was simple.

“First of all, there is no such thing as an ex-Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine,” said Parkinson, who won his seat in a special election in 2011 after the death of Ulysses Jones. “But being a firefighter taught me that when you identify something in the community that needs to be done, just get out there and do it. If it’s broken and you can fix it, just go and fix it. It’s just that simple.”

Besides the media blitz of news outlets scrambling to book Parkinson, having this conversation about dress codes and appropriate behavior has been fun for him.

One comment, he said, was especially amusing.

“Someone wrote, ‘Hey, can we add Walmart to the proposal?’” 

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