Senate Bill No. 574
(By Senators Bailey and Walker)
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[Introduced February 17, 1999;
referred to the Committee on Education.]
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A BILL to amend article two, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended,
by adding thereto a new section, designated section thirty- three, relating to providing a procedure for implementing
uniform dress codes in public schools.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article two, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section
thirty-three, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
§18-2-33. Uniform dress codes for students.
(a) The Legislature hereby finds and determines that the
clothes and footwear worn by students in the public schools often preoccupy and distract students from their major purpose for
being in school, that of becoming educated in math, science,
English, history, and other subjects. The Legislature further
finds that in those schools that have adopted a uniform dress
code, disparities in student socioeconomic levels are less
obvious and disruptive incidents are less likely to occur.
(b) The state board shall promulgate rules in accordance
with article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code that
allow local school districts to implement uniform dress codes.
The rules shall provide at least the following:
(1) The board of a local school district may create an
advisory committee comprised of parents, school employees and
students for the purpose of considering whether the district
should adopt a uniform dress code for students; and
(2) If the advisory committee recommends to the board that
a uniform dress code for students be adopted, the board may adopt
a uniform dress code.
(c) Nothing in this section requires the board of a local school district to adopt a uniform dress code.
(d) If any provisions of this section or the application of
this section to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of
this section which can be given effect without the invalid
provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this
section are declared to be severable.
(e) Nothing in this section requires any level of funding by
the Legislature, boards of education or any other agency of
government.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide a procedure
for establishing dress codes in local public schools.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.