Two Brampton Public Schools to Have Uniforms in September

Published June 27, 2017 at 10:00 pm

School might be out on Friday, but when doors reopen in September, students at two more public schools in Brampton will don uniforms.

School might be out on Friday, but when doors reopen in September, students at two more public schools in Brampton will don uniforms.

McClure Public School and Sir William Gage Middle School students will have mandatory uniforms starting in the 2017/2018 school year.

According to Peel District School Board (PDSB) policies, if a school shows interest in establishing a formal student dress code, the decision undergoes a vote through a representative committee, including parents or guardians, staff members, students and school administration. 

“You have to consult with parents, you have to consult with students and staff,” said Carla Pereira, Manager of Communications at the PDSB.

The vote must reach 75 percent of voters in favour of uniforms for the motion to pass.

At McClure and Sir Wiliam Gage, votes surpassed the 75 percent mark, and students in school uniforms will indeed fill the hallways this September.

“Sometimes they do it right away,” said Pereira on the timeline for schools implementing uniforms if the motion passes.

McClure, from kindergarten to grade 7, and Sir William Gage, from grades 6 to 8, are not the first public schools in Brampton to implement school uniforms. 

According to the PDSB, Central Peel Secondary School piloted school uniforms during the 2014/2015 school year, and following the pilot’s success, since November 2015, board approval is no longer needed for individual schools to implement uniforms.

For any school where uniforms are being implemented, a student contract must be signed agreeing to wear the uniform daily and an alternate school is offered to students or families who don’t wish to sign the contract, however, bus services aren’t provided to the alternate school. 

“It’s not for every community,” said Pereira. “Some parents want it and some don’t.”

According to the PDSB, more changes to uniform policies may be underway, regarding a process to implement uniforms in a new school.

These are the only two public schools in Brampton that have announced they’ll have uniforms come September.

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