Dress code violations are on the decline in the Palmerton Area School District thanks in large part to a revised dress code policy.

The school board, on an 8-0 vote on Tuesday, agreed to accept the second reading of Policy #221 Pupils - Dress and Grooming. Director Darlene Yeakel was absent.After the board's vote, high school Principal Kathy Egan said the number of infractions have decreased due in part to the revisions in the policy."Yes, it has dropped," Egan said. "I can't give specific figures."Superintendent Carol Boyce attributed the reduction of violations to a "combination of factors."Last month, the board accepted the first reading of the policy.Once approved, the policy will go into effect for the rest of the 2011-12 school year.The revised policy is posted on the district's web site,

www.palmerton.org.Also on Tuesday, board President Barry Scherer recognized the five outgoing school directors for their years of service on the board.Scherer presented certificates to directors Carl Bieling (8 years), Carol Dwyer (8 years) Michael Ballard (4 years), Stuart Henritzy (4 years) and Tina Snyder (4 years).Resident Tiffani Christman extolled praise on the directors."I want to thank each and every one of you for each of your time served," Christman said. "Especially Mike Ballard, Stuart Henritzy and Tina Snyder."In an unrelated matter, the board heard a report from high school Principal Kathy Egan on the PAESSP Conference she attended.Egan said the theme of the conference was "Leadership In Sea of Change", and added there were four prongs associated with it.Those included the Powers of Positive Insanity; Communication; Modeling for Understanding Expectations; and Meet Students Needs, Egan said.On a side note, Egan said seniors appreciated the veterans program held last week in the high school auditorium."It was a successful program," she said. "The students really enjoyed the program and learned a lot."Finally, Boyce announced over $46,000 worth of coupons have been collected that will be sent to Support Our Troops in Texas.