Not all Miami-Dade high schools require uniforms. A new proposal could change that

The Miami-Dade County School Board on Wednesday is expected to determine whether it should extend its policy mandating uniforms to include pre-kindergarten and high school students.

Though district policy only requires students in K-8 schools to wear uniforms, most pre-kindergarten and high school students already wear some sort of uniform required by their school, district staff said at a committee meeting last week. The move would simply codify what many students in those groups are already required to do.

There currently are only seven district schools that enroll students in grades nine through 12 that have chosen to not implement a uniform policy, district staff said. Four of those campuses, staff added, have previously considered implementing uniforms but ultimately decided against it. One of those schools is Miami-Dade Virtual School.

Still, board member Roberto Alonso, who proposed the idea, said there are “some policies that need to be reviewed” and “some policies that need to be adjusted.”

According to district policy, the “mandatory uniform program” currently impacting all K-8 students requires a minimum of two tops and one bottom, staff said.

The types of tops and bottoms students wear, however, are decided by each school’s uniform committee, a group required by board policy in schools that follow a uniform program. Housed within the school’s Educational Excellence Advisory Council (EESAC), the committee chooses the colors, fabrics and designs of the uniforms, for example, often matching the school’s colors, staff said.

Even if the board approves the measure on Wednesday, though, little would change regarding the selection process, Alonso said. The process, he insisted, would still be a “school based decision.”

“At the end of the day, [schools] will have their EESACs do what we already do with all of our K-8 schools,” Alonso told the board. “The school will be able to decide on the type of uniform.”

The difference moving forward would be the guidance schools receive regarding uniforms at the high school level, he said.

“What this item is seeking to do is to provide that consistency and guidance, while also helping out on that disciplinary standpoint on how to put together and develop that progressive disciplinary plan,” Alonso said.

If the board approves the measure Wednesday, district staff would be tasked with determining if local school guidelines and district-wide disciplinary plans could be developed.

Idea worth exploring, members say

While the majority of board members expressed support for the measure, saying it was something “worth exploring,” some members, including Mary Blanco and Luisa Santos, raised some concerns. (Board Chair Mari Tere Rojas emphasized even an approval would only initiate a review process to determine what is or isn’t possible.)

The plan aims to “promote a safe and supportive learning environment and improve school safety and discipline” and would call on district staff to determine if such an expansive policy would be feasible.

Blanco, for one, hesitated at requiring uniforms for students at School for Advanced Studies, as they are sometimes integrated with Miami Dade College students. She agreed that uniforms promotes better learning environments and student behavior but cautioned against students being identifiable with their uniforms while in class with college students.

Santos emphasized the need to include a variety of stakeholder voices in the decision-making process. Though she agreed “with every intention around safety and equity” the plan seeks to address, Santos said she is “generally not a fan of dictating more things for schools to have to do in a certain way.”

She applauded how principals in the district are empowered to “be the CEOs” of their school and emphasized the need for their voices — and those of students — to be included in the process.

Alonso said he’s already had discussions with principals and community stakeholders and plans to gather more input.

“I know I’m not going to be a favorite among students, but at the end of the day, we were elected to make decisions for our schools,” especially as it relates to the safety and security of students, he said. “But I’m good with it, because I think it’s important.”