MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2000 Regular Session

To: Education

By: Representative Guice (By Request)

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF ANY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ESTABLISH A STUDENT UNIFORM POLICY WHICH MAY BE IMPLEMENTED BY ANY PUBLIC SCHOOL WITHIN THE DISTRICT; TO PRESCRIBE THE MANNER AND PROCEDURE OF THE ADOPTION OF SUCH POLICY; TO PLACE RESTRICTIONS AND CONDITIONS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH POLICY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) The board of trustees of any local school district, in its discretion, may establish a student uniform policy which may be implemented by any school within the district in accordance with the provisions of this act.

(2) The principal, an administrator or any faculty member or members of any school within a school district, or the parent or parents of any student enrolled in a school within the district, may request the board of trustees of the school district to conduct a survey to determine the interest that educators and parents of students in the district may have in developing a policy for the establishment of student uniforms. If such survey is requested, the school board shall prepare a questionnaire and circulate it among all parents of students in the district and all students in the district who are at least eighteen (18) years of age. If the results of the survey favor development of a student uniform policy, the school board shall appoint a committee consisting of school administrators, teachers, parents and students within the district to assist the school board in developing the policy, with each school within the district having at least one (1) representative on the committee.

(3) The committee appointed under subsection (2) of this section shall develop its recommendations with regard to a uniform policy based upon the results of the survey conducted under subsection (2) of this section, research and local preferences. The recommendations of the committee shall address:

(a) The colors, styles and types of clothing suitable for uniforms;

(b) Whether uniforms should be designed for use by students on a district-wide basis, a school-by-school basis or a grade-level basis;

(c) The timetable for implementing the uniform policy, which may not be sooner than six (6) months after appointment of the committee;

(d) The extent to which the uniform policy should apply to administrators and staff;

(e) The extent, if any, to which assistance should be given to students from economically disadvantaged families; and

(f) Whether the wearing of uniforms should be voluntary or mandatory.

(4) If the committee recommends that uniforms be mandatory, then the uniform policy must:

(a) Take into account the religious and moral beliefs of parents and allow for the free expression of political, philosophical and religious beliefs of students;

(b) Explicitly define the manner and procedure for enforcement of the policy; and

(c) Include one (1) of the following options:

(i) Compliance by students eighteen (18) years of age or older shall be voluntary;

(ii) A student's parents, regardless of the age of the student, may exempt their child from the policy by filing a written request for exemption with the administrator of the school where the student attends; or

(iii) At least one (1) school in the district shall be designated as "uniform-free" and any parent opposed to wearing of uniforms by his or her child shall be allowed to enroll his or her child in that school. The school district shall consider this option when planning teacher assignments, bus routes and similar organizational structure of the schools in the district.

(5) Upon submission of the recommendations of the committee to the school board, the school board shall distribute a proposed draft of the uniform policy to the parents and students in the district for approval or disapproval of the policy. Each family having a student who attends a public school in the school district shall have one (1) vote. The proposed uniform policy may be adopted only upon approval by at least two-thirds (2/3) of such families; however, the board of trustees of the school district shall have final approval of any school uniform policy before its implementation. If a school uniform policy is adopted, the policy shall be reconsidered each year by the school board.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2000.