Williston Middle School to require uniforms starting in the fall

When the 2008-2009 academic year begins on August 26, 2008, all Williston Middle School students will be required to wear school uniforms.

Principal MaryPaul Beall said the decision to adopt a school uniform policy was made based on recommendations from the School Improvement Team, parent surveys and input from faculty and staff. Ms. Beall said other considerations used to make the decision to adopt a school uniform policy included safety concerns, discipline issues, socio-economic balance among students and protection of the learning environment.

“We need to be able to identify Williston students, campus visitors and/or intruders at all times,” Ms. Beall said. “We deal with gang-related issues on a daily basis. Uniforms will make it possible for us to monitor and control gang paraphernalia more extensively,” she
added.

The new Uniform Policy will be mailed with report cards to rising seventh and eighth grade students. It will also be mailed to rising sixth graders. Additionally, the policy is currently posted on the Williston website

The student uniform at Williston will consist of khaki or navy blue pants, skirts, shorts or skorts; navy, white or yellow collared shirts and school logo shirts and sweatshirts. They can be purchased from the following stores: JC Penney’s, Belks, Walmart, Roses, Maxway and Dollar General.