Revised version of uniform policy OK’d

Friday, Aug. 5, 2005 | 9:23 a.m.

The Clark County School Board gave final approval Thursday to a revised version of its controversial student uniform policy, bringing the regulation in line with a recent ruling by a federal judge.

A challenge to the dress code brought by the Nevada ACLU was thrown out in June by U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt. In granting the School District's motion to dismiss the suit before trial Hunt said he found no merit to the ACLU's claim that the mandatory uniform policy was unconstitutional or violated students' civil rights.

Hunt did, however, strike provisions in the dress code that allowed principals to unilaterally exempt students with religious objections or suspend the policy on special occasions. The revised policy approved by the School Board reflects Hunt's ruling.

Under the policy, schools may adopt the stricter dress code after surveying families and showing at least 55 percent of returned ballots are in favor of the change. Families must be notified no later than May 31 of the change for the following school year. Parents opposed to the policy may request zoning variances to non-uniform schools.

At schools following "standard student attire" policy students are limited in their choices of fabrics, colors and styles of clothing. Blue jeans are allowed at elementary and middle schools but banned at high schools.

The School Board also approved allowing the three original Henderson elementary schools that launched the pilot study of student uniforms in 2002 - Lamping, Vanderburg and Twitchell -- to ban blue jeans for the upcoming academic year, which begins Aug. 29. Blue jeans were not on the list of approved clothing when the school communities were originally surveyed about joining the pilot study. The addition to blue jeans to the dress code has led to a significant increase in the percentage of students not complying with the mandatory uniform policy, Lamping Principal Michael O'Dowd told the School Board.