We applaud the unanimous vote of the Newton County Board of Education on requiring the students of the two new theme schools to wear a standard type of uniform and requiring parents of students who will attend the new schools - located at Fairview Elementary and Clements Middle schools - to sign a contract that requires, among other things, volunteer time.

We have said this before, and it is something that parochial and private schools have known for years, that requiring some type of uniform for all reduces the costs of proper school clothes for parents, prevents certain types of bullying and teasing and decreases distractions for the students, which heightens their ability to learn.

Requiring parents to be involved with their children in the pursuit of education is a fantastic revival of how things were done in the good old days, when PTAs helped form policy and made a difference in how children were educated.

Parents should be glad to have this involvement with their children; there should be no tolerance for infractions against this dress code or parental contracts.