With the new school year underway, there have been a few instances across the country of recently created or modified school uniform dress codes encountering some issues with student compliance. Ensuring that any changes to a school's dress code are implemented effectively hinges on two critical components: adequate notice to families and an atmosphere of constant enforcement among faculty and staff.
Adequate Notice to Families - Every change to a school's dress code should be approved at least 3 months prior to those changes taking effect. Some states have even legislated the minimum amount of time school board must give to families notifying them of any changes. Just passing a dress code modification at a school board meeting and sending a letter home will not always ensure that those changes get to all parents. A school district must use all means necessary (automated phone calls home, TV, local publications) to convey any changes to students and parents.
Atmosphere of Constant Enforcement - The effective enforcement of a uniform policy cannot end at homeroom. While most dress code infractions are caught at the beginning of the day as students enter school, there are times throughout the day when students have the opportunity to modify their look. Whether it is between classes at a locker or after changing for gym class, faculty and staff must be ready and willing to enforce the dress code all day.
Too often, school districts experience a successful beginning to their uniform policies but then start to see a decline in student compliance over time. If the enforcement of a school's uniform policy becomes too lax and an atmosphere of constant enforcement is not created, the end result is usually discussion about the repealing or softening of the policy.
In addition, schools that have failed in uniform implementation have sometimes been too quick to create a uniform policy and failed to engage important educational stakeholders. Providing adequate notice and realizing an atmosphere of constant enforcement requires the "buy-in" of parents and teachers. A successful "buy-in" is obtained by taking a methodical and measured approach to creating or modifying a school uniform policy.
