What, no #!$* swearing?

School isn't supposed to be a party, a day at the beach or a flash mob between brick walls.

It's a place where students should be able to learn, to work side by side with one another, respectfully, to grow and to have fun and to embrace one of life's greatest truths: That there is no more valuable or exhilarating experience than gaining knowledge and wisdom.

The fact that that's been asking too much of some students and families is alarming.

Thankfully, Coeur d'Alene School District is doing something about it. The district is implementing a stronger dress code, clamping down further on the use of electronic devices in school, and even taking a whack at foul language.

We challenge you: Go to the middle or senior high school of your choice. Sign in at the office and stand in the hallway as students move between classes. We've done it, and if we had a nickel for every f-bomb and other incendiary word we've heard, well, we'd look a lot more like a newspaper owner than employees.

The new policies will be exercised over the next couple months, not becoming official until after Christmas break. That gives everyone time to adjust.

The changes arrive courtesy of a task force that met throughout the spring, did its research and made its recommendations based largely upon input from students. We applaud the panel's hard work, and the changes all sound like positives.

Of course, districts could save themselves time and energy by simply following Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy's lead, where uniforms are strictly employed, public displays of affection and foul language outlawed, and electronic devices confiscated if they so much as beep, burp or show themselves peeking out of a student's backpack. Sure, Charter is ranked in the Top 100 high schools in America for a lot of reasons, but one is that students study in a relatively distraction-free environment. Everybody's on the same page, and nobody is ever confused about the mission they're mutually engaged in.

Meanwhile, Coeur d'Alene District's new policies are posted on www.cdaschools.org, and public comment is being accepted on them through Oct. 30. The district's policy advisory committee will review comments before the policies go before the board for final approval in November.

We encourage you to share your thoughts with the district. More than that, parents, we ask you to back up your children's schools in their efforts to enhance learning. Even if you run a looser ship at home, we hope you'll respect the vision Coeur d'Alene schools are attempting to make reality.