Orange County students forced to wear bright yellow 'dress code' shirts

Orlando-area superintendent puts halt to practice

ORLANDO, Fla. – Students at Orlando schools were forced to wear bright yellow shirts for violating the dress code during the first week of classes.

Orange County Public Schools spokesman Kathy Marsh told Local 6 that 75 kids from Lee Middle School were told Monday to wear a shirt that says, "I support Lee MS dress code."

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But she said they only wore the shirts for three hours before area Superintendent Bill Gordon told Principal Cynthia Haupt to have the students change into something else.

The school district says Gordon issued the order because he didn't want students to singled out for violating the dress code.

Although Orange County Public Schools has a dress code policy, each school can maintain a stricter clothing policy, if it's voted on by parents.  That's the case at Lee Middle School, where students must wear solid-color bottoms and a solid-color collared shirt.

A Lee Middle School parent told Local 6 was upset when she learned that some students had to wear the bright yellow shirts, saying some families may not be able to afford proper attire.  She added that the first-year principal didn't make a good first impression by implementing the rule.

Meanwhile, Marsh said two girls at Edgewater High School on Monday were told to wear shirts that say, "Dress Code" on them.  Six more students had to wear the shirts Tuesday before Gordon also put it stop to the practice.

At both schools students now will wear spirit T-shirts or a Polo-style shirt if they are caught violating the dress code.

Marsh said in all of the cases students had the option to call their parents and have them bring a change of clothes.