On July 11th, 2023, a school event involving the new principal, Eric Lathan, for the 23-24 school year was held at Wunderlich Intermediate, showcasing all the new policies that will be in place for the next year. Unfortunately, as agreed by most students at Wunderlich, these new rules are absolutely ridiculous and it seems like the new leadership at Wunderlich are completely overreaching.

Here are the some of the new rules taking place:

• Say goodbye to regular backpacks because now clear/mesh backpacks will be allowed. What does this mean? Oh no, your privacy! Can't bring personal items anymore, and as someone stated, what about female hygiene that they don't want out there for the world to see? This backpack policy may actually cause social pressure within people as some may contain personal items that may be deemed as embarrassing or negative to others. This whole backpack rule also throws away the individuality aspect of it as students are now just unable to express their personal styles, and not only that but also based off of comfort and padding.
  • Although schools may believe that this may circumvent and deter people from bringing illicit objects, the question of this being effective is still being debated as there are alternative ways to conceal these items.
• Also, there will a very strict and well unnecessary dress code that is being put at place here. Here are some examples:
  • No more holes in jeans??? WHAT!?!? (If you have ripped jeans but it does not show any skin, it'll be allowed, and students are allowed to wear leggings under it)
  • Head coverings will not be allowed to be worn at school. This will exclude religious head coverings.
  • Crocs will need to be in sports mode.
  • Pajamas will no longer be allowed.
  • Basketball shorts will only be allowed during P.E.
  • Flip-flops, sandals, well anything open-toed really will not be allowed.
  • Only knee-long shorts and skirts will be allowed.
• Cellphones will no longer be allowed at lunch. What's the point of banning them anyways? That has the be the least of your problems, like what about the fighting, long lines, the food itself, etc. Stop placing the burden on students!
• The original 10/10 rule that was put in place to keep everyone out of the hallways for the first and last 10 minutes of a period has been extended to 15 minutes, giving people even less time to use the restroom.
• There are some other rules I didn't include here because it'll take too much space, however just these rules alone are going to negatively impact most students that will attend Wunderlich next year.

ADDITIONAL RULES 7/26:

• Anything that connects to a cell-phone such as a smartwatch, earbuds, headphones, etc will not be allowed. Okay I get the earbuds rule but smartwatches should not be prohibited. If you want to contact your child for now on, you will need to contact the front office.
• Anything that demonstrates affection will no longer be permitted. Hugging or holding hands will no longer be permitted, same-sex or mixed.
• You can now only bring clear plastic water bottles INSIDE LUNCH KITS (not backpacks) onto campus according to the document. This means you are no longer permitted to bring gatorade, reusable water bottles, etc. 
• All your shirts will need to have sleeves. This rule was already in effect last year.
• Here are all the examples of unacceptable clothing according to the document
  • Biker shorts
  • Chubbies
  • Cut, frayed, or torn garments
  • Gym / Wind shorts
  • High slashed skirts
  • Tank tops
  • Jogging pants/ shorts
  • Midriff tops
  • Oversized shirts or pants
  • Pajamas
  • Spaghetti-strap shirts
  • Spandex shorts or tights
  • Jeans with rips or holes that show skin
• Per semester, parents can only check out and excuse students for tardies, absences, etc only five times. If there is an absence, you will now only have 5 days to excuse it.

Looking at the new policies, questions start to rise like why were they placed upon students without any discussion to the community? Why place the burden on all the students instead of seeking alternative options? Although we want a safe environment for learning and socializing, this is clearly not the way we should approach it. Many students used to get incentivized to go to school to learn and that cellphone break at lunch was like a godsend to all. Unfortunately, many of them will be taken away from us for the next school year.

READ: We need people to sign this petition because these new policies are absolutely horrendous. We are hoping to generate enough traction for the admins at Wunderlich and Klein ISD to notice. No matter if you're a parent, student, teacher, etc, please sign this petition! Based on the information we have just received, we are looking at one of the worst years to be at Wunderlich Intermediate coming soon, all because of a new principal with the wrong solutions at hand.

Made some additions and some corrections.