OT: Public school + uniforms?

[kmccain]

JAVA I have to say I am with you!

Our very rural school was talking about voting uniforms in and I was against it. I can barely afford to put clothes on my kids let alone additional uniforms for them to wear to school in addition to their regular clothes. My kids don't wear Abercrombie or GAP unless I find them at a yard sale or a thrift shop (we are truly happy when we do). That does not effect the amount of friends they have. If they have to wear those types of clothes to be friends with someone, then they are not true friends.

Our school was thinking about going with them for the same reason posted. I think a little discipline is what is needed here. Where are the parents when they go out the door. Granted they can and do change when they get to school. Uniforms just make the principal's job easier. I think they get paid plenty of money. It won't hurt them to discipline the abusers and leave the other kids alone!

We were lucky, we also have a Vocational School and the decided that they couldn't make our kid wear them and not the others.

How many lawyers all wear the same exact suit and is that suit appropriate for your auto mechanic?

 

[LisaNJ25]

I would love for my kids to have uniforms.... we have some hoochie dressing 7th and 8th graders in my sons school.

 

[brymolmom]

JAVA I have to say I am with you!

Our very rural school was talking about voting uniforms in and I was against it. I can barely afford to put clothes on my kids let alone additional uniforms for them to wear to school in addition to their regular clothes. My kids don't wear Abercrombie or GAP unless I find them at a yard sale or a thrift shop (we are truly happy when we do). That does not effect the amount of friends they have. If they have to wear those types of clothes to be friends with someone, then they are not true friends.

Our school was thinking about going with them for the same reason posted. I think a little discipline is what is needed here. Where are the parents when they go out the door. Granted they can and do change when they get to school. Uniforms just make the principal's job easier. I think they get paid plenty of money. It won't hurt them to discipline the abusers and leave the other kids alone!

We were lucky, we also have a Vocational School and the decided that they couldn't make our kid wear them and not the others.

How many lawyers all wear the same exact suit and is that suit appropriate for your auto mechanic?

I think your last statement kind of illustrates the functionality of a school uniform. Just as lawyers wear suits and auto mechanic wear grease-wear - all students are performing the same job in that school - to learn.

I'm not saying that friends who need a 'special' kind of emblem are friends we want our kids to have - but think of it the other way. If your kid is one without the special emblem - his/her esteem might be saved somewhat without the obvious dislike of their clothing.

And it might make everyone (even those more apt to look for the logos on clothes) learn to look a little deeper, since those billboards aren't as apparent on the person. A lesson a lot of children, and adults for that matter - could learn to learn.

 

[PaulaSue]

I love the idea, hope our school district gets them soon.

 

[alisonlee3]

I just voted for school uniforms in my childrens school.I really hope they to go to uniforms next year. It will be so much easier to dress all three of my children for school.My 8yr old just started wearing Limited Too clothes because her friend does,she also wants shoes that go with each outfit .My 5yr old son only wants to wear sweat pants to school if everyone else has the same pants he won't have a choice.

alison

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I absolutly LOVE that our middle schools have a uniform policy. My prayer is that in another year it will be in the high schools. uniforms have been proven to increase test scores and decrease negative behavior. In most of the middle schools in our district the teachers also follow the same code so it sorta bonds the faculity and students. Each grade wears a differnt color so that a teacher can tell at a glance if a student in out of place. I am amazed at how the young girls in our area dress. uniforms cut down on distractions and wasted time in the classroom.
It turly does cost less to buy three pairs of pants and three polo shirts than all the designer clothes kids want.

Jordan's mom

 

[pigletof4]

My oldest son is in middle school. (7th grade next year) I have just found out that his school is going to switch to uniforms. For some reason this is really bugging me. As if the school is telling me how to parent. We live in a rural area and my son is on the principal's list. So test score improvement is not an issue for us. This is not a school with major safety issues. I just don't get it? Why uniforms?( In the sense of khaki pants and solid polos) I don't understand what the point of it is? This is PUBLIC school. I think the children should be able to express themselves. A little personality is not a bad thing as far as I am concerned. It is not like this will save me $$- because he will still need "play" clothes. You know clothes to change into after school. And I will have to buy uniform clothes. And the strange thing is that my dd (3rd grade) can wear whatever she wants. So what is good about uniforms? I went to Catholic school for my entire life(even college) so I wore them. I didn't want my kids to have to.

Where I live all of the public schools are mandatory uniforms. They started with the older kids and worked down to the elementary school kids, but they all wear them. They may have different colored shirts based on their school colors, but for the most part they all look the same.

 

[barkley]

one of the junior highs in the town i grew up in had a huge issue with inappropriate clothing and that which was associated with "gang like behaviours" (and this is a largly very upper middle class district). the school polled the parents and they adamantly did not want uniforms. so a dress code was instituted-acceptable colors for pants, acceptable styles, solid color shirts only (get this-they had girl "gangs" that were all wearing "winnie the pooh" as their identifier ), had to have sleeves, had to extend so many inches BELOW the waistline of the pants...all the parents that had been against uniforms were polled and found to be very supportive/in favor of dress code

as soon as school starts with the new code there are immediate infractions, and the same parents that pushed for the code enjoin into a class action suit with the local aclu complaining that the dress code "stifles personal expression". the school ended up going with the much more restrictive uniforms (apparantly the school district has the right to impose weather or not the parents approve).

 

[reeeoga]

Hi! I work in a School district, but not for the school (outsourced). The schools have a dress code and a Uniform Code. The parents can decide which they will follow.

The dress code in universal. The kids must wear a certain style of shirt and pants. Those must be worn correctly (not hanging or rolled up showing butt or belly).

The thing I have noticed (being a hetero type male ) is that if I see a female dressed trashie I now she is a teacher . I then started to look at the male teacher to see if the same rule applied. It did.

So now when I need to ask a staff member a question I look for the trashie dressed people

The office staff and Police force that deal with the "Bad Kids" have told me that problems have decreased after the new dress code, but not gang problems.

 

[fcrouch]

I think the great thing about uniforms is that it is easy. You know every day what your child needs to wear to school. And the child can't really complain, as all the others are wearing the same thing. Just hope that the uniform and hair codes are enforced, i.e., if shirts are supposed to be tucked in, then teachers are supported by parents and administration if teachers try to insist that the shirts are tucked in or jewelry taken off or hair cut appropriately....whatever the rule may be...

 

[matthew&haleysmom]

When registering my dd for kindergarten last year, I was bothered by the mandatory uniform policy. Now that the school year is coming to a close, I love the fact that she has to wear a uniform. The only questions in the mornings are if she wants to wear pants, shorts, skirt, or jumper. Life is much simplier this way.

 

[freckles and boo]

I have a friend with a young child in the Chicago Public Schools and she absolutely loves the dress code requirement at her son's school. Our suburban school doesn't required uniforms but I would welcome it for all the reasons others have mentioned. It would definitely reduce the morning chaos. It would cut down on the cliquishness (ie. haves vs. have nots). It would probably reduce distractions in the older grades, although I have never seen any of our very mature looking sixth graders dressed inappropriately. Finally, it contributes to a more work-like atmosphere in the classroom.

Even so, kids will strive to individualize even the most stringent uniform requirement. There are dozens of Catholic schools around here and a couple years ago during the cold weather the huge thing before and after school was silly pajama pants under the uniform skirts.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I think that gangs have already been mentioned but I read a really scary story on gangs this week. Clothes are such a big trigger with gangs and most gangs target children in the 10-12 year old range to get them hooked early. Target children are often upper social-eco class kids!!!!!
NOw I know that uniforms are not going to solve the gang wars but at least it might protect a few from gang violence.

 

[PaulaSue]

Do they make girls cut their hair to wear uniforms or just boys?

I would have a problem with that, we don't cut our girls hair in general. Our oldest had one trim to even it up on the bottom but that is all and she is 7.

 

[LynnTH]

My kids go to a private school. A year or so ago they voted on the uniform thing and it did not go through. They did however put restrictions on what was allowed and they don't let anyone get away with disobeying the dress code. (no belly's showing, no tank tops, no really short skirts, no earrings except in ears etc) If someone shows up inappropriately dressed the child has to sit in the office until a parent comes with a change of clothes. That ususally only happens once and they learn. I'm glad they do have restrictions but would not be against a uniform policy either.

 

[Lisa_Belle]

Even so, kids will strive to individualize even the most stringent uniform requirement. There are dozens of Catholic schools around here and a couple years ago during the cold weather the huge thing before and after school was silly pajama pants under the uniform skirts.

I'm surprised our Catholic girls haven't done that yet. The boys wear the craziest ties. DD's school (which is secular) specifies that only white tights or bobby sox can be worn with skirts or jumpers. They CAN wear designer shoes, but they have to be solid-colored.

Here's one tip: if your school is going to mandate shirt color, don't pick white. They are the hardest things to keep clean. One school here has yellow polo shirts, and they always look nice and neat.

Haircuts aren't addressed in our policy. I guess it hasn't been an issue yet.

 

[WDWfor5]

My DD's school district just sent out a survey on uniforms and some other stuff and decided not to implement them at the elementary schools and to consider a voluntary uniform at the middle school. While I'm fine with it if it's voluntary, I'm thrilled my district decided against it.

If I wanted my DD to go to a school with uniforms, I'd send her to private school. I agree with Java - I think individuality and being different is a good thing. My feeling is if the dress of some students is inapproriate, then enforce the dress code. Don't punish the kids and families that dress appropriately.

 

[babiesX2]

I'd like to see some statistical data from school districts that instituted uniforms. I hear antecdotes that this improved or that improved, but no one ever seems to have hard figures to back the claims up. Public school uniforms are something my dh and I disagree about. He's for them, and I'm against them. I think it is socialist (an attempt to equalize everyone). I saw the argument that adults with jobs have to wear uniforms. Yes, ADULTS do wear uniforms to work. Let kids be kids and wear normal clothes. I feel so strongly about this issue that if my kids are ever in another public school that institutes a uniform policy, I will pull them out and homeschool.

 

[juligrl]

Teens have so many other issues to deal with (I'm sure you remember, it probably wasn't all that long ago), who likes who, am I hanging out with the right people, do I have to admit I have parents, am I listening to the right music, and on and on. The way I see it, uniforms just eliminate one of the many worries that they already have to deal with. Now they can concentrate on the more important things like "am I wearing my hair just right with this uniform?"

 

[Luv'sTink]

Sorry, OP, but I would LOVE for my DDs school(s) to go to uniforms!

I would love to see this issue as a poll to see what parents think of it!

I agree