Florida HB 7043 - Standard Student Attire

Many students in Florida already wear uniform or student standard attire to schools.  According to articles, cities like Miami and  Jacksonville have the some highest percentages of students wearing uniforms in the US. A new bill filed in Florida yesterday could increase those numbers statewide.

Last week, the K-12 subcommittee filed a bill in the Florida House of Representatives for consideration after its first reading.  The bill was assigned number 7043 and titled, Student Standard Attire.  The bill states the following details:

"The purpose of a standard student attire policy is to provide a safe environment that fosters learning and improves school safety and discipline by:

1. Encouraging students to express their individuality through personality and academic achievements, rather than outward appearance. 
2. Enabling students to focus on academics, rather than fashion, because they are able to project a neat, serious, and studious image. 
3. Minimizing disciplinary problems because students are not distracted by clothing. 
4. Reducing the time needed to correct dress code violations through a readily available inventory of compliant"

And according to the bill's summary, here's how it aims to accomplish the stated purpose:

• authorizes school boards to adopt standard student attire policy; 
• limits liability for districts that implement attire policy; 
• creates safe schools allocation to provide funding for certain safe schools activities; 
• provides for withholding of funds from districts that do not comply with certain school safety & student discipline reporting
• authorizes additional funds for districts that implement standard student attire policy (up to $10 per K-8 student in qualified schools);
• provides appropriation.

You can track this bill's progress or read the full bill for yourself. The bill awaits scheduling in the full education committee.  Here at Uniform Mom, we'll be following its progress and let you know of any updates.  Parents living in Florida can contact their state representative to share their opinion for or against this bill.

Image credit - Tallahassee FL Old Capitol rear01 by Ebyabe  CC-BY-SA 3.0

Stand with #UpForSchool for Girls Education

(C) Rene Shonerd. All Rights Reserved.

I can't believe I'm sharing this photo! This was taken a few months after a catastrophic haircut when an inexperienced stylist attempted to layer my long, thick hair. The next day, the salon owner had to cut off my hair to a short pixie cut to try to make it livable while it grew out. I have not had my hair styled shorter than chin length at any time since.

So, why am I doing this? It's for a good cause. I'm joining with legions of women around the world sharing my childhood school photo in thanks for the simple opportunity to go to school.

I'm marking International Women’s Day by standing in solidarity with the 31 million girls around the world denied the right to go to school and fulfil their dreams. Join me and stand #UpForSchool by signing the petition to secure a future where every girl around the world is educated and empowered to reach their potential. #IWD2015

Frugal Finds: Uniform Deals at Crazy 8

Heads up for parents of the pint size (preschoolers and Kindergarteners) - Are you in need for a mid year refresh on a long sleeve polo for your little one? I found some great deals on uniform items that are only available in limited sizes.

Jump on this deal at Crazy 8.

For Boys, this Long Sleeve Pique Polo Shirt is available in white in extra small and small, so if that size works for your son, grab a few at $3.97!

The Girls version of this  Uniform Long Sleeve Polo Shirt is only available in white in an extra small.

Also check out the Final Sale Items (with sizes as of press time):

• Uniform Pleated Knit Skort - $2.78
  in navy (XS, S and M only)
• Uniform Pleated Skirt - $2.78
  (all sixes in khaki and only XS in navy)
• Uniform Sweater Vest - $3.48 in navy in XS only.

FeaturedBasic: Girls Uniform High-Low Hoodie

The Featured Basic Series shares basic uniform pieces for boys and girls that comply with uniform dress codes at many public, private, charter and parochial schools.

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My daughter is obsessed with the current Hi-Low trend in girls clothing. These items are cut to intentionally hang lower in the back than the front. We recently picked up a Hi-Low dress and a hi-low t-shirt for her weekend wardrobe. Children's Place has added a Uniform Hi-Low Hoodie to their girls school uniform collection. The hoodie is offered in basic navy and fuchsia.  Reviewers describe it as a thin extra layer that would be good indoors, but not warm enough to serve as a spring jacket. I think this item will be a hit with many school aged girls.

What do you think of the Hi-Low trend?

Fleece Lined Tights Paired with School Uniform

Jeez, it sure is cold outside.  The cold temps and the strong wind gusts we've been experiencing this year are brutal.  Especially if you're wearing a skirt, right?

I've mentioned before that our daughter's normal winter wardrobe routine consists of PE clothes on two days, khakis and polo on two days, then she alternates between a few skirts and a dress on the 5th day of the week. At morning drop off, the outside temperature today was 14 degrees! And that didn't even account for the wind chill.  It's just our luck that all her school pants were in the laundry this morning and it wasn't a PE day.  That meant, the only clean clothing option for her was to put on a skirt.  Brrrr.  Thankfully, she has a few pairs of fleece lined tights to match her school uniform.

She is happy to put on a skirt even when its so cold outside because she loves those tights.  She tells me that they keep her plenty warm. They can be a bit tough to find in navy, but we now have several pairs. One footless pair  in a smooth cotton, another footless pair in a cotton cable-knit pattern, and one footed pair in a smooth cotton.  I think I picked up all of them at Sears. And while the tag doesn't specify, I think they are Joe Boxer brand tights.  They run big.  The girls size 4-7 still fits my daughter comfortably when she's wearing a solid size 7 on most brands, sometimes an 8.  We also have the next size up, which is the 8-10.  They are still really big on her; bunching at the ankles.

Fleece Lined Footless Extra Warm
Tights for Girls
by Leg Impressions via Amazon

The only thing I don't like about them is the shade of navy. They don't seem to match the same shade of navy in any of her skirts which include options from various brands.  The tights are a brighter hue of navy. While I wouldn't try to pull off the navy on navy matching with any of my outfits for work, I am willing to overlook this color mismatch on her with her school uniform.  Hey - It saves me from having to do the mid week load of laundry. And my daughter is still too young to understand the subtlety of this fashion faux pas.

Does your daughter wear the fleece lined tights with her school uniform? I found this pair on Amazon by Leg Impressions of Fleece Lined Footless Extra Warm Tights for Girls.  It looks like they have all the basic school uniform colors.

If your daughter has a pair, where did you get them? How does she like them?

Gazelle, a safe place to trade in your old devices #Ad

FTC Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.



Like many of you, I tend to upgrade my phone and tablet every 2 years. When I first learned of Gazelle, I had a few old ones collecting dust sitting in a basket at my house. I heard that they were a credible company where individuals can sell their old devices for a decent rate. After reading reviews from sources I found credible, I decided to give it a try.

I visited their website where they walked me through the process. I told them what type of phone I had and its condition. They made me a fair offer and provided me instructions on how to wipe my device and package it for mailing. They even shipped me a cleverly designed box to use for free. I followed the instructions and mailed it off. A few days letter, I got an email that they had receive my package. Within another day or so, I got another email confirming that they found my device to be in the condition I reported. Since I had opted to receive payment in the form of an Amazon gift card, the email contained instruction on how to redeem the payment. 

It was stupidly simple! After using their service successfully, I then sold them another old phone. Then again last year after my latest upgrade, I sold them two more devices. All were simple and fair transactions. I was able to turn those old devices that were useless to me into real money I could use towards stuff I actually wanted on Amazon. 

One of the other things I like about Gazelle is that they don't send me a bunch of marketing emails all the time. I get an occasional email when a new device hits the market to see if you are planning to upgrade again, but they don't flood your inbox with messages every week. Its refreshing. If you have an old device laying around, I'd recommend you check out their site to see what your device might be worth. 

And if you looking for a previously owned device to replace one that has been lost, stolen or destroyed, check out their resell site. Gazelle has you covered with 'like new' devices at an affordable price that are all put through an industry-leading 30-point inspection to make sure that all features are fully functional and offers you the peace of mind of a 30-day risk-free return period, all with no contracts or strings attached.

New Phys Ed Wear from Children's Place

I was browsing online at Children's Place when I noticed what I think are a few new uniform items in their uniform collection intended for PE class.

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For Boys, they have expanded their uniform collection to also include basic short sleeve tee shirts in 8 different colors, long sleeve basic tee shirts in 9 colors, a uniform pullover sweatshirt in navy and gray, and basic sweatpants (see left) in navy and gray.  They continue to offer the uniform hoodie zip up in 5 colors. And even though these basics are listed in the boys section of the site, These items could also work just fine for most girls.



For the girls, they added a few new items that also serve as PE basics.  The added a uniform gym pullover in navy and gray.  It has a cute front pocket. The uniform hi-low hoodie in navy is more feminine with a ruffle style bottom that is a bit longer in the back. The girls uniform gym sweatpants also come in navy and gray.



As I have mentioned before, my daughter and I are fans of the Children's Place active short from the Active collection.  My daughter has lives in them during the summer months and we have several in navy that she wears on PE days in early Fall and late Spring.  We even have 3 of them that I picked up on clearance tucked away in my daughter's next size.  So, I love the cute and comfy look of the uniform gym skort made in french terry and offered in gray.   I hope they add an option for this skort in navy.




I realize that I might be one of the only people that gets excited about new school uniform items, but I am excited about the new girls uniform gym shorts.  Like the skort, they are a 100% cotton french terry.  What makes them different is that they have a longer inseam that will pass the fingertip test and comply with most uniform dress codes.




I look forward to checking out these new items in person.  I will add an update when we do.  You should note that most of these items are offered online only and can only be returned via mail.

Related Posts:

Children's Place School Uniforms - Retail Roundup Series

Children's Place Girls Active Wear - Great for PE Class

Children's Place Uniform Shorts, a Review

Children's Place School Uniform Cotton Sweater, a Review

New Phys Ed Wear from Children's Place

Featured Basic: Girls Uniform High-Low Hoodie