Uniform Policy

Central High School

Mr. Duvall,

When it was time for my eldest daughter to enter high school, I made the move to Central to ensure that she and her two younger sisters would be able to attend Central High School. Both their father and I attended Central and we felt that with the school's reputation for academic excellence and the support it receives from the community, it was the best choice in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System for our daughters. That was five years ago and now my middle child is entering her junior year and my youngest her freshman year. We have been happy with our decision to relocate and allow our children to attend this wonderful school.

However, there is one policy at Central High that I have been fighting for the past three years that I would like to see resolved: the uniform policy. I am definitely for uniforms in general. I believe they not only save the parents money but they take a lot of pressure off of the kids as well. My problem is the rigidness of the uniform policy.

Central High only allows the students to wear pants and skirts to school. I have never understood why knee-length shorts and Capri pants are not allowed. As you know, most of the school year is quite hot and I'm sure it would give the kids some relief to be allowed to wear something besides pants on these hot days.

There should, of course, be restrictions on these items as there is on the type of pants they are allowed to wear, such as no extra pockets, no denim material, etc. It is my opinion that if any item should be banned from the uniform policy, it should be skirts, not shorts and capris. I, personally, have seen the way the girls "hike up" their skirts when there isn't a teacher around. This could not be done with shorts.

I think you and your staff at Central High are running a wonderful school. I only hope that you will consider revising this policy on uniforms as soon as this school year. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,