Students in Harford won?t be wearing uniforms next year.
Potential outfits and schools were expected to be discussed by June, but officials now say the School Uniform Committee will continue gathering public opinion next school year.
“There will be no school uniform policy that will come out this year for next year,” said school spokesman Don Morrison.
“They found so far a really mixed bag as far as the effectiveness of uniforms and whether people think they?re worth the effort.”
The 25-member uniform committee, which includes parents, teachers and administrators, has made several presentations to the Board of Education and is set to go to each school to share its findings with the community, Morrison said.
Schools officials had hoped to study uniforms this year so the board could decide whether to require them for next school year.
In December, the school system surveyed parents, teachers, administrators and students in grades six through 12 to assess the pros and cons of uniforms, which they say could foster better academics, school pride and stronger resistance to gangs.
Only 22 percent of students supported uniforms, but 58 percent of parents and 80 percent of administrators favored them, according to the survey.
“It?s still very much alive,” Morrison said, “but it?s not imminent.”
Meanwhile, students at Harford?s alternative education school have embraced their uniforms of khaki pants and black shirts.
“At the beginning of the year, I thought it wasn?t going to work well, but we have had no problems at all,” said Fran Powers, an administrative assistant at the school in Aberdeen.
The committee is expected to report back to the board next spring.
