Ansonia students attending kindergarten through eighth grade at John G. Prendergast and John C. Mead School, along with students attending seventh and eighth grade at Ansonia Middle School will be following a new dress code this year.
The policy, created in May, goes into effect in September.
This past spring parents received a brochure with pictures of the required ware for the upcoming school year.
Pants, skirts, shorts and skorts can only be in Docker-style, dress, or Chino-style in blue, black or khaki and only corduroy or polyester material.
Shirts for students can be in any solid color polo or collar style however the brochure pictured white, light blue and dark blue short polo shirts and blue long sleeve collar shirts for boys and girls. Students can wear sneakers or rubber soled shoes but they cannot wear sandals or open toed shoes. They cannot wear shoes or clothing with logos.
The brochure had a very large, bold “NO” on the back to emphasize a list of clothing students could not wear to school. Cargo pants or pants with pockets on the legs, sweat pants or sweat shirts, large chains or spiked jewelry and spandex pants are among some of the prohibited clothing.
Hoodies, denim in any color, tee-shirts over polo shirts and fleece jackets are other items not allowed.
“I’m all for it,” said Annette Mellor, who has a daughter, Jessica, entering the second grade at Prendergast School. “I think it’s easier for parents who are low income than to compete with what other kids are wearing.”
Mellor’s neighbor, Christina Angeski, has three children who need clothes and also are switching to Mead because of Ansonia’s restructuring.
She sees the reason for the change, but the increased yearly cost of clothing to outfit her kids for school disturbs her.
“I can understand why because some kids don’t dress appropriate,” Angeski said. “On the other hand, you’re paying for the expenses of uniforms and regular clothes.”
