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No More Pants On The Ground: Lawmakers Pass Saggy Pants Ban
May 5, 2011
For five years, Sen. Gary Siplin has fought to pass a bill that requires school districts to develop school dress codes that prohibit saggy pants.
It looks like 2011 is his lucky year. After no debate, the House on Wednesday passed a bill (SB 228) in a 101-15 vote requiring school boards to adopt dress code policies that prohibit clothes that “expose underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner.” It now is poised for final approval by the governor.
The bill penalizes students caught offending the dress code with a call to their parent, with the most stringent punishment being removal from extracurricular activities and in-school suspension.
“It’s been a long road,” Siplin said Wednesday, as it appeared likely his bill would finally pass the Legislature. Siplin, D-Orlando, said he’s passionate about the issue because he feels too many young people are being bypassed for jobs because they dress inappropriately.
“I firmly believe part of the education process is teaching them how to dress,” Siplin said. “If you look at successful people and how they dress, they are not showing their body parts.”
Siplin said it took so long to get the bill passed because people thought “it wasn’t a serious issue.”
Also known as the “droopy drawers” bill, it became known as Siplin’s pet project over the years and incited a fair share of media attention and ribbing from fellow lawmakers. But Siplin said it was one of the top issues people would approach him about back in his district, urging him not to drop his push for outlawing baggy pants.
Wayne Blanton, the executive director of the Florida School Boards Association, said school boards are neutral about the dress code mandates.
“Most already have a policy like that or something similar,” Blanton said. “It is redundant for the most part.”
Some of the “no” votes came from many of the House’s black caucus members, who in earlier committee stops had expressed concern that the bill might cause possible harassment of minorities.
By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida
Comments
23 Responses to “No More Pants On The Ground: Lawmakers Pass Saggy Pants Ban”
Thank goodness!!! Everytime i see someone dressed like that, i want to tell them so bad to either pull their pants up or pull their ass down!!!! lol it looks so gross!!! and as far as people pulling the race card….i am so sick of hearing that crap!!!
Bobby V–was Wegdewood middle, as far as you got? What happened to high school?
Schools already have dress codes, and I’m sure they say just what is being passed, (shorts no more than 2 inches above the knee, shirts had to cover mid section, and had to have sleeves, and clothes can not show undergarments.) It’s not being enforced now, what makes anyone think with a new law being passed it will be enforced next school year.
The only uniform that is going to work is to force these kids not to show their draws is jumpsuits. That’s right one piece outfits that they can’t sag their britches in!
Well Bobby when you mentioned Wedgewood Middle you needed to go no farther. That has always been one of the worst schools in the district in attitude, discipline, and respect for authority. I speak as a child of the 70s it was terrible then glad they finally put a lid on it and locked the doors. enough is enough
]
You know its a sad world when the damn schools have to teach these kids to dress we let them dress themselves to express their own individuality. Well enough already but their tails in uniforms with no exceptions that can’t follow the rules because they are allowed to make the rules no the adults. I know in my day that would never be allowed. Kudos to Mrs. Perry at Ernest Ward if you have saggy pants she has a remedy for it in her office so all the other principals need to give her a call and ask what she does to keep this problem out of her school.
First of all, let me say that I am glad the ban was passed. I get tired of looking at these guy’s underwear. I can’t stand how they have to hold them up, or have to walk to keep them from falling completely down. I don’t think, however, this is always a result of bad parenting. Some of the pants are not bought too big. Sometimes they just sag them anyway, when they are away from their parents eyes. They seem to think it’s part of being cool. Century is not the only town this happens in. It happens all over the place, probably in every state!! ALL children stray away from their teachings at some point. It is the individual who decides how much, and which teachings they stray from. This is not a racial discussion. There are guys of ALL races who sag their pants! There is no need to get on here and take things to another level by insulting any paticular race. The article said that “SOME of the no votes came from the House’s black caucus”, which means there were other races that voted no also!! By the way, Sen. Gary Siplin, who introduced the bill, is also black!!
I wish they would pass it for all public displays of undergarments…. I hate taking my daughters to the mall and seeing guys walking around like that…. I told them they are not allowed to date anyone who doesn’t have respect for themselves and the people around them thinking we all want to see that….. I don’t know why they aren’t arrested for indecent exposure… I don’t know of any jobs that would allow that way of dressing, so have some respect….
“Baggy saggy pants on the grounds might have started out with the black race, but these days I have seen ALL races wearing their pants like that, so I don’t appreciate the House’s black caucus members mindset of thinking it’s only a “black race” issue!
Bottom line is…the only fashion statement the guys who wear their pants like this are making is that they are self centered gang banger men who apparently did jail time and want everyone on the streets to know it. If they want to dress like this in jail it’s one thing, but when they are out in society, they should dress in a manner that is socially acceptable and not offensive to those of us who have to look at their ugly buttes. If they cannot accept that, then by all means…please go back to jail and sag your life away!
To all those guys who haven’t been to jail, but are wearing their pants saggy just the same, your sending out that message whether you realize it or not. You men should really stop and think what your body language and dress style says about you as a person. If you don’t care, then suck it up and get used to the fact that we do and if a law has to come into existance to do something about it, then so be it!
Thank you Sen. Gary Siplin for your persistance in getting this issue into law!
I wonder if these kids that like to wear their pants sagging really understands where it comes from. It comes from prison, it means someone is available for some action when they wear their pants sagging.
Thank you Sen. Siplin. It is sad that the schools have to pass laws to teach our youth how to dress, but since they are not getting taught at home, Thank you for taking the time and interest in our youth. You are soooo right about not seeing such outrageous dress in the work force. My opinion of such people who wont pull up their pants, is that they are just too sorry….meaning lazy. I sure wouldnt hire anyone that was that lazy. If they dont care what they look like, they are not gonna care about the business either. Their appearance reflects a mirror of their attitude and work. NO THANK YOU
Bobby, Bobby, Bobby………you may be 26, BUTT you are neither grown nor a man.
BOBBY, UR JUST IGNORANT…..ESPECIALLY TO BE 26 AND WANT TO DRESS LIKE THAT
Bobby V… I am not at all trying to disrespect you, I am trying to reason with
you. Reason not that I am more reasonable than you, but that this is
the reason of US that are against this and hope that you will see and
possibly agree. The American children are in trouble here. We see that
and I’m sure you do also. Role modeling is the biggest way we can
hopefully change some of what is happening due to all the poor role modeling
that children see and that gets them in trouble. You and I can either
be part of the solution or part of the problem. We as adults are the
solution. It is also our greatest responsibility in life to leave on this
earth better than we came into possession of for the next generation.
What does your dress say about you to the children of this country
and is that really what you want to say? Do you want to say to them,
“Look at me I’m to cool for school”? Would it not be better to say
I have, “more respect for myself and you children than to dress in
an unappropriate manner in public?. I leave it to your discretion.
I don’t see this working. If you don’t have parents that care, you are going to lose the battle before you start.
To Bobby V I haven’t seen your butt, and don’t care to. All that does is make you look like poor, low trash. If they would let us all tote boards and bust your butt everytime we came across you. you may change your mind. Oh and by the way holding your crotch doesn’t in no way make you look sexy either!
Now a law needs to be passed so adults, and I use the term loosely, on the outside of school will be prohibited to wear this type of fashion. I have traveled through Century many a time and have seen butt cracks, stupid looking underwear and/or dudes grabbing their crotch while walking down the street. And oh my heaven, why would you want to wear something that makes you walk with your legs like that to hold up your pants. Even the fashion of the 80s was better than this crap they wear now. What happen to self respect? And it isnt a racist thing either, Ive seen all colors of skin wear this fashion. And they all looked ignorant. Remember, ignorance has no color, it’s not racist at all. And this subject always reminds me of that dude on American Idol with his song “Pants on the Ground”.
oh and by the way BLACK isn’t the only color I’ m talking about here, I have
seen every color of the rainbow dressing and acting like nobody cares about
them. Where are ALL the parents of the idiots out there today.
IT’s a very sorry country when you have to spend money to pass laws to
keep kids in check. I am still wondering WHO is Parenting these kids anyway.
TIME to STAND UP TAKE NOTICE and raise the hellions you have produced.
Pay for these messed up brats yourself. I’m sick of seeing their butts, under-
ware and ALL THEIR UNMENTIONABLES IN PUBLIC.
MOM AND POP of these brats GROW UP, TAKE NOTICE, DO THE RIGHT THING
and PAY FOR YOUR OWN MISTAKES. Heaven knows they will grow up
to be rude, nasty, slobs and probably without a proper education IS THAT
WHAT YOU CALL LOVE OF YOUR CHILD?
Amen to EJ’s comment. Oh my word, I’m so sick and tired of everything turning “racial” when they can’t come up with a legitimate argument. If some of those folks are so smart, then why can’t they stand up and take responsibility for their actions.
I’m going to “ditto” Joe and Billy’s comments as well. Tired of looking at it, think it’s completely ridiculous and maybe school uniforms aren’t such a bad idea if kids can’t leave their houses appropriately dressed.
I totally agree with the affirmation that saggy pants are so nasty. There is nothing worse than walking a hallway or down a street and have to look at someone’s nasty drawerss. It is also so wrong to see a male grab his crotch all day long just to keep up his pants. There is such a simple solution, STOP trying to look stupid. Buy your pants to fit and put a belt on.
I would however I’d like to say uniforms are not the answer. I have seen male students going to school in Escambia, Alabama with their uniform pants on the ground. Somehow it looks even worse in a uniform.
It is true if parent would take notice in what their children buy, and what they leave the house in to go to school we would not need this law. What I am sorry to say is the penalty of a student, “caught offending the dress code with a call to their parent, with the most stringent punishment being removal from extracurricular activities and in-school suspension.” Is not going to stop the offenders. A good part of the students that dress in this manner don’t listen to their parents in the first place, don’t participate in extracurricular activities, and get suspend from school on a regular bases for other offences. So what is the punished when they just don’t care? There is no respect for themselves or their appearance!
Typical response from the black community when they have no intelligent argument to the subject……..break out the race card.
Its too bad they can’t focus on serious issues, no one cares what you look like or what clothes you wear or how you wear them. Focus on the education instead
common sense and good upbringing would prevent this.
School uniforms seem to be a good solution. this seems like a waste of tax dollars when politicians have to pass laws about dress codes!
It seems more people do not want to rais their kids so it has become an issue.
there is nothing cool about seeing a persons undergarments exposed from their pants. The big baggy pants that requires the kids to grab the crotch as they walk to prevent them falling down, will not be missed at school, or the ones that require them to walk with their legs spread so far to keep pressure on the pants to prevent falling as well.
thank you………tired of looking at it