Vineland students to wear white, black and red under new dress code

The hallways of Vineland Public Schools will be a sea of khakis pants, no hats and shirts of white, black or red with its new dress code policy.

The dress code goes into effect on the first day of class in September for all 18 schools in the district, kindergarten through 12th grade.

“We have had several parents and schools ask we go to a dress code,” said Ruth Ann Polof, assistant superintendent for administration.

Vineland Board of Education unanimously voted on the policy at its Feb. 13 meeting.

The dress code is a result of a committee put together to decide on the students’ attire.

The decision to go to dress code has been discussed for the past year and a half and is finally coming to fruition, according to Board Member Tom Ulrich at the Feb. 13 meeting.

To gauge the reaction of students and parents to the change, the school district sent a survey home.

“It was all positive so, from that point on, we created a policy and regulation for it,” Polof said.

The policy calls for solid-colored slacks, either khaki or black, made of cotton, canvas, corduroy, line, polyester or twill.

No jeans, sweat pants or Capri pants are allowed under the policy.

Girls also have a choice of khaki or black skirts — at least mid-thigh length — and boys have a choice of shorts, also khaki or black.

Collared shirts must be white, black or red and tucked into pants.

Instead of hooded sweatshirts, students are allowed to wear sweaters or cardigans that must also match the three-color dress policy.

The first dress code offense by a student is a verbal warning. If a student has a second offense, a phone call will be made to their parent. Third offenses entail a formal letter to the parent about the infraction and a fourth offense will lead to a school board hearing.

After talking to parents and reading the survey results, Polof believes that the dress code will lessen the pressure off of kids who cannot afford expensive clothing.

Uniforms are also a safety issue, allowing staff to quickly find out who belongs on school property by their attire.

If a parent needs financial assistance to purchase the uniform, they can submit a written request to the school that will be forwarded to the business administrator. Afterward, the administrator will provide vouchers to the school store for the purchase of two tops and two bottoms.