Legislation that will prohibit students from wearing clothing that exposes their undergarments or that indecently exposes their body parts while at school could soon become the law in Florida.
Senate Bill 228, sponsored by Senator Gary Siplin D-Orlando, was passed unanimously by the Senate on Thursday. Sen. Siplin, who has introduced similar legislation in previous years, said the bill is designed to teach our children discipline and respect for themselves and others.
“This pro-family, pro-education, pro-jobs legislation,” said Sen. Siplin, “is necessary to put the focus back on learning in the classroom. By creating an atmosphere of professionalism, we can eliminate inappropriate dress as one of the many distractions in public schools today.”
Under the legislation, students would be verbally warned on the first offense and a parent or guardian would be notified. On the second offense, the student would be restricted from participation in extracurricular activities for no more than five days and a parent meeting would be held. On the third and subsequent offenses, the student – after the parent or guardian is notified – would receive up to 3 days of in-school suspension and would be restricted from participation in extracurricular activities for up to 30 days.
The bill is now working its way through the House by Rep. Hazelle Rogers, D-Lauderhill, with its next slated committee stop in the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee.
