BENZONIA -- The hole in Tim Gonyon's pants was there when he bought them, frayed near the knee with fabric sewn beneath it. His skin doesn't show.
Even so, he found himself last week in violation of Benzie Central High School's dress code, which prohibits ripped pants. When he chose not to change -- as ordered -- into lost-and-found clothing and couldn't find a pair of gym shorts to wear, Tim was sent home.
The junior from Benzonia believes he's become a model for an outdated policy that neither accounts for changing fashion trends nor protects students who can't afford new clothes.
"As long as it's not revealing anything that shouldn't be revealed, like your private areas or anything like that, I don't see what the problem is," said Tim, 16. "What are they going to do, wear gym shorts the rest of the winter?"
Benzie Central's dress code also bans profane logos, midriff-bearing tops, short skirts and spiked jewelry to prevent classroom distractions.
Rather than debate with students about what is and isn't appropriate, "we just say no holes," Principal Pete Olson said. "No matter what you set, they're going to find ways to test you."
Students can change, call home or spend the day in the office, Olson said, adding that teens aren't often sent home.
A survey of high school policies in other counties did not turn up specific bans on clothing rips or tears. Some principals said they don't act unless holes are too far above the knees.
It used to be that students ripped their pants by wearing them out. But some jeans today are sold already frayed. The style frequently is found at high-end retailers that are popular with teens.
Changing trends forced some school administrators to examine the relevancy of their policies.
"We were much tighter on that, but that has become certainly a style," said Dale Kasza, Kalkaska High School principal, who now looks for "mutilated" clothing.
Suttons Bay High School students are allowed patches on their jeans and ripped pockets if a layer of material is in between, Principal Raph Rittenhouse said.
And "there are some (holes) that we just live with," Traverse City Central High School Principal Jim Leyndyke said.
Tim bought new clothes with money earned at a summer job. But he wonders how his peers might fare under the rules if the recession left them unable to buy new fall outfits.
Olson said students are collecting clothing to offer classmates in need and could dole out duds by December. He said the handbook is reviewed annually by a committee of parents and students.
But Tim wants it amended sooner, saying students should take up the issue with the school board: "That's the only way we can get it changed."
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