By DARLA CARTER, The Courier-Journal

A band of students from Atherton High School has been carrying out an unwavering campaign against a new dress code, using techniques and organizational skills like those of seasoned activists.

Members of the group, now calling itself Atherton Community for Cooperation in Education, have been working for months to stop the dress code -- organizing peaceful protests, holding meetings, distributing fliers and launching a Web site that details their cause.

The group, which has 20 to 25 core members, including some parents, held a rally last night that served as a preview for a boycott planned for Tuesday, the first day of school. The rally drew about 135 people, including students, parents and teachers.

"We hope to convey the message that we are not fanatics out to commit anarchy and chaos," said Eli Levine, an Atherton junior who explained the group's strategy before the meeting. "We will still abide by rules, but not ones that are in our opinion unfounded."

The group's campaign comes at a time when an increasing number of public schools, locally and nationally, are turning to dress codes and uniforms to maintain discipline. The Atherton protest is unusual in that it has gone on for so long and has turned to techniques such as Internet postings and lessons in civil disobedience to get its message across.

Last night's rally at the Douglass Community Center featured tips on how to creatively defy and to creatively comply with the dress code. Students were encouraged to do only what they are comfortable with on the first day of classes to show their opposition. They were also urged to refrain from violence, even if people express anger toward them.

"Keep it cool," said Tony Prince, chairman of Atherton's English Department. "Everybody is going to be tense. The people who are the calmest are the people who are going to have the best week."

Atherton parent Sheila Tasman brought multicolored arm bands for students who aren't willing to defy the code but want to show silent opposition. Two other parents, Kathleen Mynhier and Carol Ely, urged parents to write letters or sign forms saying that their children have decided to "opt out" of the dress code and requesting to be called if their child is going to be punished.

"We feel that uniform dress codes make uniform minds, and that is not something we want to promote," said David Chack, a parent who spoke at the rally.

The dress code calls for students to wear white polo, oxford-cloth or turtleneck shirts; khaki or black pants or skirts; solid brown, black or white shoes; and white, black or brown socks or tights.

The code bans tattoos, dyed hair, shorts, T-shirts, piercings other than for earrings, and medallions or necklaces worn outside shirts.

School officials have said the dress code will make it easier to recognize people who don't belong in the building and will keep students from wearing gang colors. They have also advanced other reasons for uniformity, such as fostering togetherness, making students look more professional and making it harder to tell the rich from the poor.

Lauren Roberts, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Public Schools, said dress codes have sparked opposition at other schools in the district but "nothing that compares to this."

Levine said he thinks the opposition at Atherton has risen to this level because of the ethnic and culture diversity at the school, which has a magnet program in international studies.

"Atherton has traditionally been a diverse and expressive school," he said, although last night's crowd included virtually no minorities. "We have some of the top students, and we care -- we really do care -- about our school, and we're afraid of what will happen if uniforms come."

Levine said he thinks the opposition also is intense because the site-based decision-making council failed to adequately include parents and students when considering the dress code.

"A LOT OF PEOPLE felt very shut out of the process, and no one likes to be shut out when there are policies going on about telling you what to wear or that you have to spend money so they can tell your kids what to wear," he said.

Atherton seniors Tom Graves and John Schlafer also expressed frustration with the school leadership. Graves read "Declaration of the Atherton Students in Solidarity" that refers to a two-year battle against the dress code that has "fallen on deaf ears."

The site-based decision-making council initially approved the code Jan. 21 and then again in February after the first vote was declared invalid because it was by secret ballot.

Opponents took their case to a six-member appeals panel of officials and parents from the Jefferson County Public Schools but lost on its final try in June.

In an interview, principal Fred Harbison pointed out that the dress code, which was developed by the school's Climate and Safety Task Force, was researched over three years and that the site-based decision-making council did have input from others in the school.

Harbison conceded that most parents and students who responded to a survey before approval of the dress code didn't support the policy. But their opposition was outweighed by the testimony of teachers at schools that already have dress codes, he said.

Harbison said dress-code violations will be handled case by case. Punishment will range from requiring the student to change into clothes that comply with the code to suspension.

The controversy is sure to heighten interest and participation in the site-based council election in October, Harbison said.

Atherton parent Gary Cook said the group will be lining up parents to run in the election and will be searching for supportive teachers.

School Board member Beverly Moore told the crowd that they have a right to replace the council members if they don't like how they're performing. But she also asked them not to hurt the start of school or to force Harbison to waste all of his time trying to enforce the dress code.

"It's definitely going to add another degree of difficulty," Harbison said in an interview. "I'm hoping that someway, somehow we can come to an agreeable solution."