As the state Senate moves forward with a sweeping plan aimed at fixing Florida’s testing troubles, a House education panel on Wednesday took up another subject entirely: school uniforms.
House K-12 Education Subcommittee Chairwoman Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, convened experts from four school districts to talk about their experiences with clothing in the classroom.
Wendy Dodge, who oversees legislative affairs for the Polk County school system, said her district has had a uniform policy since 1998.
“It’s just part of our culture,” she said. “The kids know at every school that uniforms are required.”
Dodge said the policy had made schools safer because “principals can look out at their campus at any time and know if there is somebody out of place or who shouldn’t be there just by the fact they are not in uniform.”
She also said it had been a hit among parents.
