Stop School Uniforms in Osceola County

We are proud citizens of Osceola County who feel that the Osceola School Board is overstepping its authority with the consideration of a mandatory uniform/standardized dress code throughout the county. As United States citizens, we have a fundamental liberty, interest, and right to rear our children as we see fit, and the United States Constitution permits a State to interfere with this right ONLY to prevent harm or potential harm to these children. Given the evidence that mandatory uniform policies have no effect on school violence, and that such policies can actually have an adverse effect on student academic achievement, we feel that the Osceola County School Board is unnecessarily and unconstitutionally infringing upon our guaranteed rights and placing our children at risk.

There is overwhelming empirical evidence that school uniforms will not improve discipline or academics. Studies on the impact of school uniforms "indicate that student uniforms have no direct effect on substance use, behavioral problems, or attendance ... [and] [a] negative effect of uniforms on student academic achievement was found."(1) Further, it was found that [t]he notions that school uniforms and zero tolerance for gangs would reduce school disorder and consequently improve student academic performance were not supported.(2) Finally, a study by Orange County, Florida, in November, 2007 found "...there is no significant evidence that uniforms impact academic achievement or crime or violence."(3) Therefore, we respectfully require that the Osceola County School Board provide more than just their opinion that school uniforms might reduce gang violence and improve the learning environment. We require that the School Board provide empirical evidence of its own that their uniform policy will significantly improve the safety of our children without impacting their academic success. Absent such evidence, if the School Board wishes to adopt a uniform policy, we require that any such policy be voluntary and contain an opt-out clause that affords constitutional protection to those who wish to assert it. The opt-out process must be simple and undeniable; American citizens should not be made to meet onerous bureaucratic requirements to prove or substantiate their beliefs or to meet arbitrary time constraints to opt-out.

Only by providing an undeniable opt-out clause can the Osceola County School Board maintain the guaranteed rights of its citizens and avoid the potential expense and distraction of lengthy litigation arising from a flawed policy.

We respectfully request that you table any further discussion on a mandatory school uniform policy for Osceola County or, if you feel you must impose such a policy, that it include an undeniable opt-out provision.

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(1)Brunsma, David L., and Kerry A. Rockquemore. "The Effect of Student Uniforms on Attendance, Behavior Problems, Substance Use, and Academic Achievement." The Journal of Educational Research, 13 Feb. 1998.
(2)Barton, Paul, Harold Wenglinsky and Richard Coley. "Order in the Classroom: Violence, Discipline, and Student Achievement," the Educational Testing Service.
(3)OCPS. School Uniform Study. November, 2007.