Much has already been written about sagging pants and the various efforts to criminalize the practice. Well the Orlando Sentinel reports that a bill to criminalize sagging pants is closer to becoming law since it has passed the Florida Senate. From the article:
Lake County students likely will have to pull up their trousers soon or face consequences for breaking the law.
State Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, has been trying for years to ban saggy pants that expose underwear — or worse. Now, it looks as if his “baggy pants” bill finally will become law.
More from the article:
Siplin’s bill (SB 228) would ban students from wearing clothes that expose underwear or “body parts” on campus during school hours. It flew through the Senate, and a similar bill (HB 61) was making its way through the House.
Siplin said he thinks kids would be more inclined to hitch up their pants if the ban was more than just a school or district policy. He wants the force of state law behind it.
“[The public] is tired of seeing underwear. It’s nasty and dirty,” Siplin said.
A student caught with his pants down for the first time would receive a verbal warning. Parents will get a call from the principal. After a second offense, the student would not be allowed to take part in extracurricular activities for no more than five days. The principal also would call a meeting with the parents. Further violations would require a maximum three-day in-school suspension, 30-day expulsion from extracurricular activities and a letter to the parents.
The ACLU points out the obvious about this potential new law:
Although the maximum penalty would be in-house suspension, “it would create an opportunity to interfere in the quality of their education,” said Danielle Prendergast, public policy director with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
The bill would disproportionally affect minorities, particularly black students, Prendergast said.
“Look at the pop culture. Who wears the pants low?” she argued.
