WITH schools set to re-open in two days, distressed parents in areas ravaged by Hurricane Dean nearly three weeks ago are calling on school offcials to relax their dress codes and allow their children to attend school in regular attire.

While the free tuition fee policy set to take effect on Monday is expected to somewhat ease the pressure off parents, there is still the problem of school supplies. The parents are asking that they be given time to re-purchase these items – many of which were destroyed by the category-four storm.

“[They] have to give us a little more time, we can’t afford school right now,” Claudette Golding, a resident of Portland Cottage in Clarendon told the Observer. “The decision is not really up to us, so if the principals will allow it, we will let the children wear ordinary clothes to school. We really need some time to get back the school supplies.”

Another resident, Marcia Gordon, said all school supplies she had purchased were lost in the storm.

“The only thing I did not buy was the books,” she said. “Right now, I just have to sit and look. Come Monday morning, I don’t believe they can go back to school.” She said of her five children, two attend the Bustamante High School, two Portland Cottage Primary and the other is at basic school.

“I am trying to get them back but I just don’t know how. But I still have my hopes up,” Gordon said.

On Thursday, Jasper Lawrence, chief education officer at the education ministry, confirmed that the question of relaxing dress codes would have to be determined at a local level – that is, by school principals.

“Not all the schools are affected, so we are not able to take a national stance on the matter,” Lawrence said. “Our principals are very understanding and they know of the situation affecting these students and so will treat it accordingly.”

He explained that the ministry had already had discussions with the principal of one school who has agreed to “deal with the situation as favourably as possible without the turning away of students”.

Meanwhile, some parents said they need help to repurchase the school items, having spent all their cash on rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Dean.

A distraught Yvonne Winter said everything she bought for her children was destroyed by flood waters.

“I spent about $9,000 to buy the things and everything is gone,” she said, pointing to a number of water-damaged uniforms lying on the ground.