San Fernando Valley : Uniform Dress Code Starts
Students returning to Sun Valley Middle School this summer needed more than just new pencils and notebooks--they also needed new wardrobes to comply with the school’s mandatory dress code.
The year-round campus switched to what administrators call a uniform dress code July 5, joining the growing number of Los Angeles Unified School District campuses whose students wear uniforms.
Under the code, Sun Valley’s 2,350 students are required to wear white shirts with collars. Boys must wear blue slacks and girls must wear blue skirts or pants.
“It makes our kids very identifiable,” said Assistant Principal Hobart Cress, noting that the neighborhood is often the site of disputes between two gangs. In the past, residents and faculty sometimes had difficulty distinguishing students from unwelcome campus visitors.
Cress said 648 students showed up out of uniform the first day, but by the end of the week the school had reached nearly 100% compliance.
Next on the fashion police agenda: Untucked shirts and too-short tops.
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