Birmingham Students Return With Uniforms Optional
Birmingham students went back to school today. And this year’s school scene looked different from head to toe. The school system decided last month to drop its longstanding uniform requirement. That move brought mixed reactions from parents, retailers and students.
For the first time in more than 20 years, khaki, black and blue pants and the blue or white shirts are optional. Birmingham students can go to school wearing whatever they like – within reason — just as long as their pants don’t sag and the skirts and shorts are not … too short. Boys still have to wear belts. And no open-toed shoes or hoodies are allowed.
Some parents like Lachelle Adams say they don’t have a problem with the policy. She just fears the change may have a negative impact.
“That’s going to promote some bullying I feel, because there’s going to be a large number of kids dressed out of uniform,” Adams says. “And they can look at a kid who is dressed in uniform and say, ‘Hey, you must be poor. Your mom can’t afford to buy you regular clothes?’”
Adams says she had already bought uniforms for her son when the school system announced the dress policy change. The timing, she says, wasn’t good for parents. She returned some items.
School officials say they heard from parents and students who wanted a new dress code policy. They announced the new guidelines in July ahead of the state sales tax holiday weekend when many families make their back-to-school purchases. Meanwhile, stores are stuck with lots of uniform inventory.
I’Asia Powell started 8th grade today at Smith Middle School. She shopped recently for shoes with her family in Crestwood. The shoes she tried on were powder blue sneakers with a pink bow. Last year, those shoes would have been off limits for school wear.
She says the change in policy doesn’t make much difference for her.
“I like wearing uniforms every day,” she says. “But it really don’t matter to me, ‘cause I go to school to learn, not all that other stuff.”
Israel strikes Gaza as both IDF and Hamas accuse each other of breaching ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it responded after "terrorists" attacked troops operating in the Rafah area with gunfire and an anti-tank missile. Hamas said it was unaware of the clashes.
Masked thieves steal ‘priceless’ jewels from the Louvre museum
France's Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, called the heist "a major, highly organized operation" that lasted just seven minutes. Authorities were still drawing up the value of the stolen items.
ICE tried to send one immigrant to a country he never lived in. Then he lawyered up.
Roman Surovtsev is like many others who were detained at their regularly scheduled ICE check-ins. What makes his case different is that his wife has marshalled a team of lawyers on his behalf.
Grab the goggles. Pickleball eye injuries are on the rise
Safety precautions haven't caught up with enthusiasm for the sport. Researchers call for a new push for eye-ware.
Sunday Puzzle: Anagrams from a hotel room
NPR's Don Gonyea plays the puzzle with Minnesota Public Radio listener Matt Walsh of St. Louis Park, Minnesota and Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz.
3 takeaways from the second No Kings day of nationwide protests
Organizers said some 2,600 protests were planned in the U.S. on Saturday. The protests were largely peaceful, as demonstrators united in their stated aim to safeguard the country's democratic values.
