The Osceola County School District officially starts their calendar year next Monday. While we are all eager to have a great school year, some of you might be waiting until the last minute to get your students properly clothed and ready for their first day.

The uniform requirements are somewhat simple, however finding clothes that are within those simple guidelines is quite another story.

Of the 3 department stores and shops we visited yesterday, we were only able to come away with 2 outfits for elementary age students, and 1 combination of khaki pants and white polo shirts for middle and high school size students. The elemtary ourfits consisted of two “skorts” at $26.88 a piece and a polo shirt at $10.00 - well over $60.00 total. This can’t possibly be a great situation for all of those parents out there that are relying on local merchants to stock school clothes that fit and abide by the school policies.

As parents, students and tax payers should agree, the implementation of a county wide uniform requirement should have included the schools contacting local merchants and notifying them of such requirements so that they could adequately prepare. The cafeteria sales of uniform shirts and “school spirit” shirts is simply not enough to relieve the school system of this duty. The uniform shirts available at the schools seemed way over priced, and poor quality, with the white shirts being nearly see through when worn. One must wonder if the decision makers responsibile have school aged children in this county.

Head to Wal-Mart in St. Cloud Now!

As of this writing, the Wal-Mart in St. Cloud has just stocked a “School Uniform” rack (three days before school starts) and the clothes are being snatched up and bought extremely rapidly. The middle and high school wear is already bare, and the elementary school clothes are dwindling fast as well, but you might luck out and find something for your student.

Help Out Parents

If you find a local merchant that seems to have a good supply of acceptable school uniform clothes, please comment below and let some of the other parents know!