Cobb County school board members are not changing the district's uniform policy for now, even though black and Hispanic students are more likely to be penalized for violating uniform requirements.
Grant Rivera, the district's chief leadership and learning officer, said at a school board meeting Wednesday schools that require uniforms have abided by district policy, and they sought parents' input and approval beforehand.
But parents critical of requiring uniforms say schools have not done enough – or cannot fully document — that they sought parent approval. They say principals are often the ones who decide, with little or no input from parents.
One of those parents, Valerie Testman, said after Wednesday’s meeting she was disappointed that board members failed to address the system’s discipline practices or the racial disparity in schools that require uniforms.
Testman said she plans to file a complaint over Cobb's uniform policy with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.
“I thought Cobb could work this out, because I don’t want to go down this road,” said Testman, whose daughter attends Tapp Middle School, which requires uniforms. She says her daughter has been told she would face suspension if she did not comply with the uniform rules.
“They’ve (board members) washed their hands of it,” she added.
To read more about the what happened at the Cobb school board meeting, check out Myajc.com.
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