OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — School leaders in Osceola County said uniforms are having a big effect on improving discipline.
Uniforms were controversial when the district approved them in 2008 and now some school board members want to see better enforcement of the rules.
Students don't have to wear a tie, but the dress code does call for a collared shirt.
“At first, they didn't like it. They wanted to wear their own clothes, you know, show off their style,” said parent Diosamar Sanchez. “But as time goes on, they kind of just forgot about it and they like it.”
Osceola County schools believe the dress code has helped reduce the number of discipline problems by roughly 58 percent over the past eight years.
“My only regret with school uniforms is that we didn't do it sooner,” said Osceola County School Board member Jay Wheeler.
Wheeler said the policy was approved in 2008 after an increase in gang attire, which included certain colors and clothing styles.
“We had a little bit of pushback on the front end, but now it's just part of who we are, it's part of our culture and it's expected,” said Wheeler.
Nine years later, the district said the number of fights, dress code violations and gang activity are all down. Uniforms can't take all the credit, but Wheeler says they helped change the culture at schools. Still, there's work to be done. School board members said some schools are too lenient in enforcing the dress code and called for more consistency across the district.
State lawmakers have supported expanding uniforms, but not every parent wants them, and some districts don't want to get tied down enforcing a uniform policy.
Osceola County school leaders said other school districts around the state have reached out for guidance on their own school uniform policies.
Cox Media Group
