Southeast : UNIFORMS

Long Beach Unified School District, the first public school system in the nation to require students to wear uniforms, reached an out-of-court settlement Wednesday with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Foundation, scuttling a lawsuit filed on behalf of 26 families who say the district refused to help when they couldn’t afford the mandatory uniforms.

Described as a “win-win” resolution by the school district, details of the agreement were worked out during three days of face-to-face negotiations led by an American Arbitration Assn. mediator.

Clearing the way for other school districts to institute a policy on uniforms, the accord calls for improved communication with parents about assistance for disadvantaged students whose families cannot afford uniforms.

The district also has agreed to provide more forthright information about provisions for parents who do not support the uniform policy. The district’s director of attendance will aid parents who have any questions or concerns about the uniform guidelines.

Alan Frieo, lead attorney for the group opposing the uniform policy, said he believed the settlement should “send a signal to other districts in the state to look at the Long Beach experience.” A major concession on the part of the school district, he said, was its agreement to make it very clear to parents that their children did not have to participate in the uniform program.

“After going through this, I believe the district has very good intentions,” Frieo said.