MISHAWAKA — She’s a single mother who works two jobs to make ends meet. Yet, Cheryl Groom says school uniforms can actually help her wallet.

“Don’t tell me you can’t afford it,” Groom, who has an eighth-grader at John Young Middle School, said following a meeting at Mishawaka High School Monday. “Stop going out to dinner. Stop going to McDonald’s. Buy your kids the clothes they need.”

But junior Kaleb Chamberlin, 16, told the nearly 60 parents, students and staff members in attendance that he’s seen the high school go from strongly enforcing the current dress code policy at the beginning of the year to slacking — the main issue that sparked the whole idea of a uniform dress code in the first place for middle and high schoolers next fall.

“I don’t understand how it’s affecting my learning,” he said.

Monday’s meeting came on the heels of a work session that saw low turnout in late February, as well as a less-than-ideal 20.7 percent response rate from parents on surveys the district mailed out last December. Officials said they believe a stricter dress code could help with the high school’s low-area 59 percent graduation rate last spring by improving the atmosphere.

Parent opinions on surveys were generally mixed on the school uniform issue, while an unsurprising majority of sixth- through 12th-graders surveyed were against such a policy and most teachers surveyed last spring supported one. Officials emphasized that school officials are really talking about a modified dress code, not a “parochial” style of uniform.

But parents complained the current policy is not enforced fairly, and a uniform would strip students of freedom to express themselves, pointing to the possibility of legal issues that could place shrinking school funding at risk. Some parents said they did not get a survey and argued they could have been given out during fall registration, but officials said support from 70 percent of parents has usually been the target before implementing a dress change.

Other parents questioned the possibility of having a similar dress code in place for staff members or introducing it in elementary, too. But Judy Morgan said her son believes the bigger problem is students who are missing school, disrespectful to teachers or not completing work. Gail Ford said a more restrictive policy could push students out the door, especially those who have to struggle on their own. Students also said dropout and pregnancy rates are the real distractions.

Mishawaka Assistant Principal Anita Nash said dress code issues this year have been one of the top three reasons for 6,000-plus discipline referrals. Enforcement is tough, but consequences first include detention, Wednesday and Saturday schools and in-school suspension before out-of-school suspension.