Southeast : Reno to Visit in Support of School Uniforms

U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno will visit Long Beach today to underscore President Clinton’s support for the city’s experiment in mandating school uniforms as a way of curbing violence in schools.

The Long Beach Unified School District is the first in the nation to require that students wear uniforms. The early results have been promising, with drops in the number of fights, drug cases and sex offenses during the first year the policy was implemented.

A Justice Department spokesman said Clinton had read reports of the uniform requirements and has taken a personal interest in the school district’s experiment.

The spokesman said the administration hopes to encourage more districts to try different approaches that might make a difference in diminishing school violence.

“The attorney general is definitely carrying a message from the president and she is serving as his emissary on this,” the spokesman said.

Not everyone has been happy with the uniform requirement. A suit was filed at the start of the school year by disgruntled parents who said they could not afford to clothe their children in uniforms. The case is pending. Reno will attend a forum today to hear what students, parents and community leaders think about the policy. . . .