ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : An Experiment in Uniformity

Budget-conscious parents and community leaders concerned about gang activities in the schools have found an attractive experiment being implemented in the La Habra City School District this year. The district is asking students in kindergarten through fifth grade to wear only white and navy-blue outfits.

It’s the first policy of its kind in Orange County, although some other districts have adopted regulations specifically restricting clothing associated with gangs. But this voluntary policy is well worth watching as a model for schools eager to counter peer pressure to wear “the latest,” and usually most expensive, clothing. And the new policy can also address complaints that certain types of apparel associated with gangs are responsible for violence in the schools.

La Habra has had the good sense not to go overboard, instituting its policy on a voluntary basis in the lower grades with plans to phase it in later for older students. That way, no one will be forced into uniformity, and the policy will conform with a state Supreme Court ruling that voluntary uniforms are acceptable in public schools.

The favorable response from parents in questionnaires and early enthusiasm expressed by educators and gang experts suggests the timing is right. This experiment strikes a balance between individual tastes and the need for order.