SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 40, NO. 46
SECTION A
AUGUST 23, 2019
$1.00
School dress code undergoes makeover
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Last month, offi cials with
the Salem-Keizer School
District (SKSD) released a
brand new dress code, which
will be applied for the 2019-
20 school year.
The basic principle for the
new code is that certain body
parts must be covered for all
students at all times, meaning
that “clothes must be worn
in a way such that genitals,
buttocks, breasts and nipples
are fully covered with opaque
fabric.”
While the District still has
specifi c standards for what's
appropriate and what's not,
the new dress code does
allow students to dress more
comfortably.
One of the biggest
changes to the code is the
list of items students are
now allowed to wear to
school, which includes: hats,
pajamas, tank tops (including
spaghetti straps), halter tops
and athletic attire. Students
will also be allowed to
have visible waistbands on
undergarments or visible
straps on undergarments worn
under other clothing — as
long as they don't violate the
“Girls want to wear shorts and
tank tops when it gets really
hot. But they have been told
that it’s a distraction to boys, so
it’s nice that there’s now a dress
code where we can be more
comfortable.”
— Brooklyn Flint, MHS Junior
basic principle.
McNary High junior
Brooklyn Flint is particularly
pleased with the new code,
which will allow her to dress
more freely on warm days.
“I love the new dress
code. There's nothing against
showing your belly button or
wearing straps. For girls, a lot
of the issue is heat, especially in
the spring and summer time.
Girls want to wear shorts and
tank tops when it gets really
hot. But they have been told
that it's a distraction to boys,
so it's nice that there's now a
dress code where we can be
more comfortable,” Flint said.
“I have had a lot of friends
in the past that would be
really concerned when they
came to school and they
would try and avoid teachers
because they don't want to
be caught wearing spaghetti
straps. That's ridiculous.”
Fellow McNary junior
Wendy Martinez echoed her
classmate's sentiments.
“I thought it was cool that
the school district decided
that it was ok to wear things
like tank tops and shorts. We
Please see CODE, Page A9
City offi cial: Human toll on creek cumulative but restorable
By LAUREN MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
Keizer has seen substantial
development come its way
over the last two decades.
Unfortunately, the growth
of the city has taken a toll on
the local environment.
“Keizer does not have a
riparian protection ordinance
and so development, removal
of stream-side trees and shrubs,
landscaping practices that
involve the use of pesticides
and fertilizers, grazing, and
waterway modifi cation all
impact Claggett Creek,”
said Elizabeth Sagmiller, the
Environmental and Technical
Division Manager for the city
of Keizer.
Riparian is the land next
to a watercourse. When it is
mismanaged, rivers or stream,
such as Claggett Creek,
become unhealthy and unable
to support life.
Though she doesn't think
that these things should be
banned, Sagmiller does believe
that management of these
activities needs to happen in
order to balance development
and a healthy environment.
“I believe that it’s a
common perception that a
single activity will not impact
the waterway, but we have to
remember that those allowed
activities are cumulative, and
what seems like a harmless act
may result in big consequences
within that reach of the
stream,” she said.
One of those consequences
is the inability to support life.
According to Sagmiller,
Claggett Creek does not
meet the biological criteria
to support aquatic species.
Please see CREEK, Page A9
Our guide to
the state fair
PAGE A2
New principals
PAGE A6
KEIZERTIMES/Lauren Murphy
Numerous issues with Claggett Creek make it unable for the once healthy waterway to support
aquatic species.
zoinks! AND
It’s The Adventure Machine
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Kiezertimes
The fi rst time Keizerite
Jessica Fletcher took The
Adventure Machine out for a
spin, it was more than a little
nerve-wracking.
“I felt really naked.
There was no way to fi t in
JEEPERS!
anywhere, but then I realized
I never really wanted to fi t in
anyway,” Fletcher said.
The Adventure Machine
takes its name and design
from The Mystery Machine
made famous on innumerable
Scooby-Doo adventures. It’s
adorned in bright blue and
lime green with large orange-
petaled fl owers and lettering.
The van is a 2018
Dodge Ram ProMaster
with extended cab and
extended roof. The décor is
a wrap created especially for
Fletcher at Salem’s Gorilla
Graphix. It looks as authentic
as anyone could hope for,
and it’s turned every one of
Fletcher’s trips in it into
something else.
“Everyday errands
are not simple trips
anymore, they are
events,” she said.
While The Ad-
venture Machine
attracts a fair num-
ber of oohs and
aahs from not-so-
meddling kids, it’s
the adults who
tend to have the
most over-the-
top reactions.
“Adults
go
screaming crazy.
I was at the coast
a few weeks
ago and there
was a guy who
just screamed out, ‘Yeah,
Scooby-Doo,’” Fletcher
said. “It was so awesome,
it made me smile. It’s so
unserious and who doesn’t
love Scooby Doo?”
McNary
cross country
looks to
bounce back
PAGE A14
Volcanoes
break out
of slump
PAGE A14
Please see JEEPERS, Page A9
No need to travel
all the way across town.
Our Keizer location has
now been expanded
into a FULL SERVICE CLINIC.
to better serve the Keizer community
®
We’re here for you — now closer to home.
5825 Shoreview Ln, Keizer • 503-540-6471 1600 State St, Salem • 503-540-6300