The Dougherty County Board of Education, Georgia posted the following dress code for elementary age students. Younger children wore uniforms while older children had a dress code.

MANDATORY UNIFORM (Kindergarden-3rd Grade)

Over the past several years many parents and community members have urged the Dougherty County Board of Education to adopt a uniform policy as a means of improving the learning environment, minimizing disruptive student behavior, and countering the influence of gangs. During the school year, the Board of Education studied the advantages and disadvantages of uniforms in schools across the state and country. They found that the use of school uniforms enhanced school safety, improved the learning environment, reduced ethnic and racial tensions, bridged socio-economic differences between children, promoted good behavior, improved children's self-respect and self-esteem, and produced cost savings for participating families. Schools with greater compliance levels tended to enjoy commensurately better results. Accordingly, as announced on April 28, 1999, the Board of Education determined to extend the benefits of the program throughout the system by implementing a mandatory uniform policy for students in kindergarten through third grade in all elementary schools for the 1999-2000 school year. In each succeeding year, the Board of Education has determined to extend the policy to the next highest grade not having a mandatory uniform program until the program covers all students from kindergarten through the eighth grade. For each of the first five years of the mandatory uniform program, the system will comprehensively assess the policy, modifying it as appropriate.

All elementary schools will adhere to the following uniform dress requirements:
1. White collared shirt (short or long-sleeved, cotton-blend or knit)
2. Khaki or navy blue bottoms (pants, skirts, jumpers, or shorts to be no more than two inches above the knee)

If a parent or guardian desires to exempt his/her child from the mandatory uniform policy, the parent or guardian must request from the school office an Application for Exemption. The parent or guardian must submit the completed application to the school principal in a timely manner. A meeting will be set up for the parent to discuss the application. If the exemption is granted, the parent will be given the Dougherty County policy for other school attire. The exempted student will be required to adhere to this policy as well as all students in fourth and fifth grades.

STANDARDS FOR SCHOOL ATTIRE (GRADES 4-5 grades)

1.Clothing must be free from tears, rips, holes, etc.
2.Clothing or jewelry which depicts or suggests sexually related or obscene gestures, or pictures or wording which promote the use/abuse of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or any controlled substance shall not be worn on campus or at school activities.
3.Students shall not wear articles of clothing, jewelry, or accessories which, in the opinion of the school principal, pose a clear and immediate threat to the physical well-being or safety of other students on campus: i.e., heavy chains holding keys or wallets, spike collars, wrist bands, or metal toes of shoes.

SHIRTS AND BLOUSES:

Shirts and blouses must have sleeves, and be free of writing, emblems and logos. All styles except halters, tank tops, deep V-necks, strapless tops (bustiers, tube tops, etc.), undershirts, and others that expose the bodice or abdomen. All fabrics except sheer, see-through (organza, net, unlined lace, etc.), clinging, or form-fitting fabrics. Worn tucked inside skirts or slacks unless designed as an overblouse. Buttoned or zipped properly. Sized appropriately for the wearer.

SKIRTS, DRESSES, AND JUMPERS:

Dresses must have sleeves. Any length that is not more than two inches above the knee and not below the ankle. All styles except halters, sun-backs, tubes, and after-five. Sized appropriately for the wearer. Blouse or T-shirt worn with jumpers.

PANTS AND SHORTS:

Worn at the hemmed length not more than two inches above the knee. Pants must fit the student and cannot be oversized and must be hemmed. Additionally, pants must be worn at the waist 9sagging and drooping are not allowed) and should touch the top of the student's shoe. Pants with loops must be secured with a belt.

Shorts must not be below the knee and no more than two inches above the knee.

SHOES AND SOCKS:

Properly laced and tied securely. Buckled, clamped, or fastened as appropriate. They must have a heal strap and have a heal strap and have no more than a one inch heal for safety purposes.

Socks are required with all shoes except sandals. Socks must go above the ankle and be visible above the shoe. Socks with shorts must not go above mid-calf.

OUTERWEAR, COATS, HATS, CAPS, ETC:

Must be free of writing, pictures, emblems, and logos, except those of the teams or groups at the school or those of colleges or universities. Coats, headgear, and gloves are to be removed and stored appropriately when inside the building. Umbrellas must be stored appropriately.

JEWELRY AND ACCESSORIES:

Single post earrings and hoop earrings no larger than a quarter are acceptable. No more than two bracelets or rings may be worn at any time. Nose rings, nose pins, tongue rings, and tongue pins are not acceptable. Students shall not wear dark glasses in the classroom.

HBC ASSESSMENT

A British contributor to HBC notes that shorts must be no more than 2 inches above the knee (presumably while in standing position, but this isn't made clear) BUT also not below the knee. The contributor notes that he has never come across this before. He also notes that socks must go above the ankle and "be visible above the shoe" BUT also socks worn with shorts must not go above mid-calf "Why? the contributor asks. "This also is entirely new to me."

The Georgia dress requirements of course are a good example of how varied the school dresscode can be. In Georgia during the 1990s, children (boys and girls) can not wear short cut shorts. Some schools in Belgium, France, during the 1970s and 80s did not permit boys to wear long shorts. British schools on the other hand generally required shorts, but the length was up to the parents or boy--but was ususally just what was available. Of course there was no real reason, except fashion. In fact many Amercan schools once prohibited short pants, even in elementary schools.

The same was truer about socks. Some schools required socks of specific colors and lengths. There was no real reason for the specific style, except often traditional styles. he objective was simply uniform appearance. The idea being that a school gave a much better appearance if the children all wore similar socks with their uniform.

Created: November 10, 1998
Last updated: August 28, 1999