No more jeans: A.L. Brown High tightens uniform policy

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 1, 2009

KANNAPOLIS ó Jeans and cargo pants are out and uniforms are in for A.L. Brown High School students this fall.
Kannapolis City Schools announced in a press release this morning that the high school is adopting a uniform policy similar to the one in place at other city schools.

The policy is on the agenda for the school board’s meeting at 3 p.m. Monday.
New A.L. Brown Principal Kevin Garay says the new policy will provide more consistency among KCS schools and improve safety and the school environment, the release says.
“We’ve been very pleased with the changes we’ve seen since we went to a partial uniform dress code three years ago,” Garay said in the release. “But we think things could be even better by going to full uniforms.
“We’ve said from the start that we might eventually transition to full uniforms, and we thought it was time to make that change.”
Garay took over as A.L. Brown principal on July 1 after serving as assistant principal there since 2005.
Since 2006, A.L. Brown students have been required to wear collared shirts that were white, gray, navy blue, or green. They also had to tuck in their shirts and were encouraged to wear belts with their pants.
However, students could wear jeans or cargo pants to school. Starting in August, jeans and cargo pants will no longer be allowed.
The new uniform policy requires pants, shorts, skirts, and skorts to be made of a twill-like material (no jeans).
Students also must wear belts with any bottom wear that has belt loops.
The colors for bottom wear will be black, navy blue, and khaki. The acceptable colors for shirts will continue to be white, gray, navy blue, and green. Other rules from the new uniform policy are listed below.
A.L. Brown is sending a letter and Connect-ED message to parents telling them about the change. In addition, information is posted on the KCS website at www.kannapolis.k12.nc.us.
A.L. BROWN STUDENT UNIFORM POLICY
General Notes
a) Garments that do not fit properly will not be tolerated-including oversized, undersized, and skin-tight garments.
b) Garments may not have more than two slits and the slits cannot be higher than the knee.
Shirts / Sweaters
c) Students must wear a collared golf, polo, or oxford shirt of one solid color of white, gray, navy blue, or green. (Shirts may be long or short sleeved.)
d) Shirts must be tucked in.
e) ONLY short or long-sleeved collared polo shirts may be worn as the outer shirt. The colors of the polo shirt must be green, white, gray or navy blue. (These must be solid colors with no stripes or patterns.) Females must wear the 3-button shirts. Any type of shirt may be worn UNDER the polo shirt as long as the short or long-sleeved polo is worn as the outer shirt and as long as the under shirt is one of the four colors listed above.
f) ONLY jackets or coats with zippers or buttons will be permitted to be worn over the TOP of the short or long-sleeved polo shirt. Jackets or coats must be unzipped or unbuttoned while in any building; the point is that the polo shirt must be visible at all times. HOODIES MAY NOT BE WORN AT ALL AS THE OUTER OR UNDER SHIRT. No sweatshirt may be worn as an outer shirt. Again, the polo-style shirt (short or long-sleeved) must be worn as the outside shirt.
g) Thumb size or smaller logo is acceptable; School logo shirts will be available.
Pants / Skirts
h) Students may wear black, navy blue, or khaki pants or shorts that come to the knees without decoration of any type.
i) Pants and shorts must fit properly on the hips AND CANNOT BE BAGGY.
j) Pants with holes or chains are unacceptable.
k) Pants and shorts can be navy blue, black, or khaki ONLY. JEANS OR ANY TYPE OF DENIM WEAR ARE NOT PERMITTED. PANTS MUST BE EITHER DRESS SLACKS OR MADE OF TWILL-LIKE MATERIAL. AGAIN, JEANS ARE NOT PERMITTED. CARGO PANTS OR CARGO SHORTS ARE ALSO NOT ACCEPTABLE. Further, spandex and sweatpants are not allowed during the school day.
l) Females may wear skirts that come to the knees. They may also wear Capri pants.
Other Items
m) BELTS ARE REQUIRED WITH BOTTOM WEAR THAT HAS BELT LOOPS.
n) Garments for school-sponsored organizations and clubs may be worn.
o) No headgear on school grounds will be allowed unless students wear toboggans or hats as they arrive at school or leave in the afternoon on cold days only. Hats, do rags, hoods, or bandanas are not to be worn on campus. Hair rollers with or without scarves are also not to be worn on campus.
p) The only headgear exemption is for religious ceremony attire.
q) Undergarments are not to be worn as outer garments.
r) Excessive jewelry is not acceptable. Students should refrain from wearing large rings and/or expensive jewelry. No dental grills (jewelry worn as “fronts” on teeth) are allowed.
s) Pierced jewelry may be worn in the ears only. No other body piercing jewelry is to be worn.
t) ALL STUDENTS MUST WEAR SHOES. ONLY DRESS SHOES OR HEELS MAY BE OF THE OPEN-TOE OR OPEN-HEEL VARIETY. BEDROOM SHOES, FLIP-FLOPS, AND SANDALS ARE PROHIBITED.
Clarifications
u) Garments for school-sponsored organizations and clubs may be worn.
v) Appropriate dress applies when students attend any school activities that are extensions of the school day such as athletic events.
x) Sunglasses are not to be worn in the building or classrooms.
y) Athletes may wear their athletic attire on game days.
z) Students will be allowed to participate in the dress of the day during Spirit Week.
aa) P.E. students must dress according to the code when visiting the classroom buildings.
bb) Allied Health Science uniforms and JROTC uniforms may be worn when the classes require that students do so.
A similar uniform dress code has been in place at all KCS K-8 schools since 2005.