There’s student handbooks and auctions to approve of at the Austin Public School board special session Monday.

Board members will officially approve next year’s Ellis Middle School student handbook Monday, which includes a dress code created last year by a group of eighth-graders.

“We thought we should help our school and classmates,” said Mer Gach, Ellis eighth-grader last month. “We thought we should have clothing dos and don’ts because people are wearing innappropriate stuff to school that we shouldn’t have or allow.”

The group, which met weekly with Ellis Assistant Principal Jessica Cabeen, performed service-based projects, including sending letters and treats to troops in Afghanistan. They decided about six months ago to take a look at the dress code. These six girls looked at 60 other schools’ dress codes as well as Austin High School and Ellis dress codes.

One thing stood out: these dress codes needed to be simplified. That’s what the group did, spelling out what short shorts means (If your arms are at your side, your shorts should be below your fingers) to the kind of tops that expose shoulders or midriff (no tank tops or low v-neck that require a tank top underneath), to defining the differences between gang-related clothing and clothing that advertises drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other innapropriate things in school.

“(Students) need to know the difference between them,” said Cindy Renteria, eighth-grader last month. Both Renteria and Gach will go into ninth-grade this fall.

Board members heard the new dress code last month, approving it for the student handbook.

Also on the docket is a potential surplus auction this July. Board members will discuss approving items for possible auction for Thursday, July 14. Among the items that could be sold include 35 televeisions, seven pianos, 20 microscopes, several tape recorders, movie projectors, microves tables and light fixtures. All of the items suggested are no longer used by district personnel, according to a proposal by Matt Miller, director of buildings and grounds.