School Uniforms: Your Viewpoint

[LiLIrishChick63]

Ours was pretty much, "If it's covered, you're good." (Chest area and butt for women, butt and crotch area for men)

Is it really that hard to follow a few dress code rules? I didn't find it that hard. I found it acceptable/reasonable. I understood the safety reasons behind the 'no flip flops/open toed shoes' rule.

The dress code, in my opinion, was far more easier to enforce, b/c it was a few rules, not a million like the uniform policy.

Wanna see our uniform policy?

that's pretty much what it is "if you're covered, you're good"

uniform "policy"?? go for it!

 

[Cass]

Judging from the hoochie-mamas and guys with their jeans falling off I see around here, the dress code (if there is one?) is not being enforced.

We would have the nuns come measure the length of our kilts with a ruler, and they would smack your hand if your kilt length was shorter than it should be. (girls used to roll them up at the waist) lol

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

Judging from the hoochie-mamas and guys with their jeans falling off I see around here, the dress code (if there is one?) is not being enforced.

We would have the nuns come measure the length of our kilts with a ruler, and they would smack your hand if your kilt length was shorter than it should be. (girls used to roll them up at the waist) lol

i've honestly never seen any really shocking things from kids walking to/coming home from school. maybe it's just me?? me neice is 11 and the sad thing is, she WANTS to dress with tight clothes and short things, but neither her mother nor the school allow it.


when i was in high school it was a public school and i wore a skirt once. and the rule was it has to be mid-length at the shortest, which is mid-way down your thigh. course...i'm taller and my arms are long, so it looked shorter, but when they measured it, it was fine. but i never wore a skirt again, i didn't want to have to deal with that again. all that hoopla and it was fine. so i just decided to not wear it again lol.

 

[Ariel Mae]

School Uniform Policy for my Parish's Schools:

SCHOOL UNIFORMS

Students attending Pre-K-12 schools in Calcasieu Parish shall be required to wear official school uniforms. Uniforms shall be the same for all schools, as follows:

* Uniform shirts will be white, hunter green or navy blue polo/golf style shirts (short or long sleeves with a collar) or shirts that button down the front with a collar. No emblem, logo, decoration, or decorative trim is allowed. High School and Middle School Administrators have the option to choose a uniform shirt in one of the school’s colors.

* White, hunter green or navy blue, turtlenecks with no emblem, logo, decoration, or decorative trim are acceptable. Turtlenecks can be worn separately or under uniform shirt

* T-shirts (solid white, hunter green, or navy blue) will be allowed under the uniform shirt.

Seriously, what does it matter what you wear underneath your clothes? If they're looking at my chest that closely, we have a problem.

* Spirit shirt/club shirt may be worn on day/s determined by the school administrator.

* Administrators may option to have students wear the official school logo on the school’s designated shirt.

* Shirts must be tucked in at all times.

* Khaki (shades may vary) or navy blue pants, skirts, shorts, skorts, or jumpers must be uniform style and color (no blue jeans, no corduroy or wind-suit materials, no sweat pants, no stretch pants or leggings, no spandex, no baggy pants, no bell-bottoms, no carpenter or cargo styles, no hip-huggers, no side-knee pockets). Emblems, logos, or decorations are not allowed.

* Pants, shorts, and skorts must measure (front and back) no shorter than three inches above the knee. Skirts and jumpers must measure no shorter than three inches above the knee.

* Belts should be black, brown, navy blue, hunter green, or khaki with no emblem, logo or decoration and must be worn with slacks and shorts that are designed to have belt loops. Belts must be visible and worn around the waist. Belts are optional for pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students.

Belts and tucking in your shirt are uncomfortable during tests.

* Socks (or stockings for girls) are required and should be hunter green, navy blue, khaki or white with no emblem, logo or decoration and must cover ankle and be visible. Middle and High School students are not required to wear socks or stockings with sandals.

What on earth does it matter if your socks are colored? They're looking too closely at us, I think.

* Appropriate shoes must be worn and not include thongs. Sandals are not allowed in elementary grades.

* Acceptable outerwear for classroom is limited to include sweater, sweater vest, sweatshirt, and light jacket. During class time, jackets are to remain open – not zipped or buttoned. Colors for classroom outerwear include khaki, navy blue, hunter green and white. No emblem, logo, or decoration is allowed on classroom outerwear. The uniform shirt must be worn under outerwear.

Explains itself...

* Heavy coats and jackets worn to and from school and/or outdoors are not restricted, but recommended to colors of navy blue, white, khaki and hunter green.

* No headwear shall be worn on campus with the exception of knit caps in extremely cold weather.

They even went so far as to say no hoods on jackets...now, every jacket I wore had a hood, and I wasn't about to, my Senior Year, spend money on a jacket I'd only wear once, so I pretty much gave them the big, "F U" on that one.

Other Dress Code Regulations:

* Prohibited items include bandannas, hair rollers, extremes in hair styles, psychedelic hair colors, lines, letters, or designs shaved in the head.

They considered natural red hair to be extreme!

* Sunglasses, nose rings, visible body piercing, and excessive or inappropriate jewelry are prohibited.

Sunglasses? I mean, what if it's sunny?

* Prohibited items include excessive and inappropriate makeup, painted faces, inappropriate tattoos, and stick-on tattoos.

* Clothing worn is not to be suggestive or indecent.

* Clothing, jewelry, and general appearance are not to be of the type that would cause a disturbance or distract or interfere with the instructional programs.
They told me I couldn't wear my pentagram b/c of this rule. Yet, crosses and Stars of David were allowed??

* Clothing, jewelry, and general appearance are to be such as not to constitute a health or safety hazard.

Principals may declare spirit or club days and allow students to wear school spirit shirts, or dress up days (i.e., when school pictures are scheduled) or allow students to wear other uniforms such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, cheerleaders, band, chorus, etc. Other questions about uniforms should be referred first to the school authorities, then to the central office staff.
DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES FOR UNIFORMS:

All Pre-K – 12 schools in Calcasieu Parish will strive to achieve full compliance of the Dress Code Policy and should resort to disciplinary measures only when positive measures fail. The intent of this policy is not to prevent any student who is not in uniform from attending school. This policy is not intended to suspend or expel a student from class or from school or lower an academic grade as a result of not complying with the School Uniform Policy.

The following is a progressive disciplinary plan for students who are considered non-compliant with the Dress Code Policy and who have not been granted an exemption.

ELEMENTARY:

* 1st Offense - Written warning

* 2nd Offense - Phone call to parent/guardian

* 3rd Offense - Administrator or designee, parents, and student conference.


MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL:

* 1ST Offense - Written warning (Handbook)

* 2nd Offense - Phone call to parent/guardian

* 3rd Offense - Referral to ISI, C.A.R.E., or detention


Students shall not be considered in violation of the Dress Code Policy in the following instances:

* during the first five(5) school days after transferring from an out of the parish school

* when a student has been authorized by the school principal to wear something other than the approved school uniforms.

* when a parent has secured an exemption from the School Uniform Policy

* while an appeal of an exemption from the School Uniform Policy is pending;

Now, even after Hurricane Rita, when people lost their houses, they were still required to have a uniform.

Boy: "My house was destroyed, as were my clothes. All I have is what I have on."

Principal: "Oh, you can get uniforms from Good Will."

Boy: "I'm sorry, we have to clean up our house. I think that's more important than going out and searching for a proper uniform."

I loved that boy! lol

(Bolding mine; emphasis on what I highly disagree with)

(Italicized my viewpoints on the bold)

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

School Uniform Policy for my Parish's Schools:



Now, even after Hurricane Rita, when people lost their houses, they were still required to have a uniform.

Boy: "My house was destroyed, as were my clothes. All I have is what I have on."

Principal: "Oh, you can get uniforms from Good Will."

Boy: "I'm sorry, we have to clean up our house. I think that's more important than going out and searching for a proper uniform."

I loved that boy! lol

(Bolding mine; emphasis on what I highly disagree with)

(Italicized my viewpoints on the bold)

that's a load of crap. i remember a friend of mine, when i was younger and went to the private school, put baraids(sp?) and they sent her to the principal's office and told her to take them out. when she said "Antionette has baraids in her hair" and their response!? "you're not black" ......WHAT!? trust me, not long after that, i left the school.

 

[basas]

We use a private school with a strict uniform policy.

If it were my choice, all schools would have uniforms.

 

[Ariel Mae]

If it were my choice, all schools would have uniforms.

Why? (I always like to hear the 'why' from both sides.)

I'm, obviously, on the 'anti uniform' side...I've seen more 'worse' come from it than 'better'.

 

[Ariel Mae]

It was quite recently that I heard someone advocting college/university mandated uniforms...I shudder at that thought.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well, I work in a school cafeterias within the same school district and some schools have uniforms and some don't.
Of course the uniforms are polo's, Khakai's, etc., so no major expense.

My kids don't have a uniform.

I don't care one way or the other to be honest.

 

[Ariel Mae]

Of course the uniforms are polo's, Khakai's, etc., so no major expense.

See, that's what our uniform is, too, and it's a great expense. (Expense just varies from person to person, I guess. To me, 85$ for jeans is absurd. I would never buy my kids clothes that expensive! I don't care if it's 'in'. Unless it's 'in' for them, and not Bob and Jill and the Ho Hang Gang {Made up name, don't know where that came from}, I probably wouldn't even give it a thought. I don't want my kids to follow trends/be like everyone else. I want them to follow their own path, be themselves. 10$ for jeans is fine, and the quality is often just as well from Walmart as it is from JcPenny's or The Gap. {Actually, I've had clothes from Goody's last longer than JcPenny's...quantity doesn't always specify quality}

Overall, it put me and mom out a good deal of money each year. Money on something I'd only be able to wear a year, if not less.

 

[DISUNC]

i agree with you. i had to wear them and i hated them. yes let's show our children individuality by making them all wear the same thing, really smart.

and i agree, they are way more expensive than clothes i would buy. but that's just me, i don't spend $85 on pants.

ITA

I hated when I had to wear them 100 years ago! Still think it is silly today!

Quick story......Once in Catholic Parochial school(5th grade) the Nun was telling us that in Russia the poor children ALL HAVE to wear red scarfs around their neck when they go to school. It was such a shame....yada yadda yadda!

I ask how was that different then all of us wearing Maroon ties ...Needless to say...I NEVER asked the Nun another question ever!

 

[Cass]

It was quite recently that I heard someone advocting college/university mandated uniforms...I shudder at that thought.

You just go put on your kilt right now, young lady.

 

[Ariel Mae]

You just go put on your kilt right now, young lady.

*blinks*

*laughs*

Oh, man, see, that's why I went to a public school...I don't like skirts, I never wear dresses (nope, not even to my wedding...I'm wearing jeans to my wedding!)...and I know I would have been "Satan's Child" if they put me in a skirt. Blech Blech.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My DS goes to a Catholic school now and wears a uniform. Blue or white shirt, navy pants and also a gym uniform.

I love it! DS will go to a public school next year and I already dread it. Not so much for my son but for when my DD starts school.

I have to laugh at 2 points that were brought up and to me is a bunch of crap:

I don't like uniforms because I want my kid to express their individuality. What a load of crap! Have you seen the way kids dress? 99% of them dress like their friends. They don't want to be out of the loop or clique , so they dress to be part of the crowd. Yea there are exceptions to the rule, but in the most part, sorry this is what I've witnessed.

And my DS goes to a snobby catholic school. believe me those kids know whether the uniform pants are from target, Old navy, Gap or lands End. I've seen kids teased since their uniforms are from the hand me down program. Snobs are snobs whether they wear uniforms or not.

 

[NotAmused]

I am 100% against uniforms. Everyone, not just in school, always says "be yourself....don't try to be like others....if so and so jumped off a bridge, would you jump too...etc". Uniforms are contradicting what children are taught. Uniforms take away individuality.


I just graduated from high school 2 years ago, and the year after they began their new uniforms. My younger brother now goes there and uniforms are actually costing MORE money. My parents are forced to buy him his uniforms, but of course, as a teen, he wants "cool" clothes to wear when he's not in school. For him, he needs jeans, shorts, expensive shoes, and the skater/surfer brand shirts. Even if they told him "no" to the name brand stuff, he would still need more clothes to go out and play in.

Public schools should not have mandatory dresscodes. If schools would just enforce a dresscode, there would be no need for uniforms. That was the excuse for our district enforcing district wide uniforms. If they would only enforce the policy of no flip flops, no tank tops, wearing a belt, fingertip length shorts/skirts, rude words/graphics, etc, there would be no problem. Why is it all of a sudden a problem? When I was in school, we were checked and we got warnings/dentention/ISS/etc for our dresscode violations. After we got in trouble we learned not to make the same mistake. The dresscode actually works if people would enforce it.

 

[lemondog]

I love them! I attended private school K-12 and wore them the whole time. I never minded. Now my oldest DD is in kindergarten at private school and she wears one as well.

The girls wear a specific plaid jumper with basic white peter pan collar shirt. They also have a spring/early fall option of khaki skort with blue polo shirt (with school logo on it). I don't know where the argument comes from about them being more expensive/not durable, but that is the FURTHEST thing from our experience! They were cheaper than most of the regular clothes I buy my kids, and I think they might survive a nuclear blast, lol. They never wrinkle, never seem to get dirty, and never rip/tear/lose their hems. Most kids at her school buy the jumpers a couple of sizes too big, then alter the length each year to get a good 3 years out of them. Then they are passed down to younger kids with plenty of mileage left!

As far as price, I have spent less on DD's wardrobe this year than I ever have, because she wears the uniform 90% of the time. And there are NO arguments in the mornings about what to wear. You should have seen the row we had on picture day about what she was going to wear, lol!

In my experience both as a student and a parent, there really is no problem at all in students showing their individuality while wearing uniforms. Not to mention, it cuts down on a LOT of problems that come from kids who want the latest fashions because "so and so at school has them." That can cause real problems, and that's just not an issue at DD's school (well, other than every single girl in grades 5 and up wanting a North Face coat, ha!).

So my opinion is...uniforms do much more good than they do harm, and hopefully my kids will always be at a school that requires them.

 

[Cass]

I am 100% against uniforms. Everyone, not just in school, always says "be yourself....don't try to be like others....if so and so jumped off a bridge, would you jump too...etc". Uniforms are contradicting what children are taught. Uniforms take away individuality.

When I wore my uniform with the school colours, I felt part of something, a sense of belonging and pride. In public, we were representing our school - everyone who saw us knew where we were from, who we represented. When you would see a group of us at a bus stop and a group of no-uniform kids, you could really see the difference.

I feel sorry for kids that don't get the experience to wear their school uniform proudly - well I suppose there are team uniforms for sports/jackets? unless wearing these things takes away individuality too?


My DD is on a school trip next week to Quebec, all the kids will look smart in their blazers etc.. plus it's harder to lose a kid when they are dressed the same.

 

[DisneyfeverTN]

My youngest DS goes to private school and they wear uniforms. It's great. Even the majority of public school kids in our area wear uniforms. It's a huge improvement over the inappropriate clothes many of them were wearing. Pants hanging down so low their underwear was showing, tank tops and shirts that showed off their belly buttons, short skirts...If all parents made sure their kids were dressed appropriately, they wouldn't need uniforms. But all parents don't.

I like the rules at our private school, that's why I have sent all three of my kids their. It doesn't hurt them to dress nicely and be respectful. I could care less about them expressing their individuality through their clothing while they are in school getting an education. When they grow up and get a job, they will most likely have a dress code.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Uniforms - no way!!!

Enforced dress code - yes!

 

[LadyBears]

hmmm... not sure if I am for or against.

While I agree with the arguments for "No" uniforms. I think I would like to have uniforms for my DD. Not the kind of uniforms where all shirts must be bought at one specified store for 10x the price just because it has the school logo on it, but like khakis, polos, certain colors etc.

Several posters have said things like "if parents just followed the dress code, we wouldn't need uniforms". I would like to say that I do NOT dress DD7 like a slut & I try to make sure she is covered. HOWEVER - manufacturers do not sell many things that adhere to the dress codes!!!!

DD is forever wearing shirts that are way to big for her just for the extra length to cover her tummy & butt crack! I also run into the "low rise" problem but not because I refuse to adhere to the dress code. The waist & length of a size 8 is perfect, but DD has very muscular legs & needs a 10 for the width in her upper leg. She refuses to wear belts or she will take it off & leave it off 1st time she goes to the bathroom, so the size 10's slide off her waist & become low rise. I can't win!!

If that is how it is for a 7 y/o - I can just image the parents of teenagers!