<p>So, UCD, it’s up to the schools to mandate what kids wear? Where do the parents get a say? If parents wanted their children to be forced to wear uniforms, they could have sent them to schools which had those policies.</p>
<p>It is kind of hard to tell the teachers from the students sometimes.</p>
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<p>Probably not. Then again, the staff probably don’t get nightly homework, log a minimum number of service hours, stay on campus for the lunch hour nor do they most likely have to participate in gym class. </p>
<p>Then again, most likely the students do not need to attend ‘staff team building sessions’, be finger printed before being given access to the instructor nor do they most likely have to be on site for certain parts of the summer months to prepare for the school year. You see, the faculty and staff have different positions in the system (well, IMHO, they at least should strive for this distinction).</p>
<p>So what was the point of the question?</p>
<p>WOW - Since when do teachers have to be treated like students? Wear uniforms?
My niece and nephew go to Chicago public schools and they have to wear white top and blue bottoms - all because of gang colors - so yes it does exist and has helped a lot in their schools.
My kids have always worn uniforms - my dd loves not having to think about what to wear - we bought her two skirts, 4 polos and 2 sweatshirts her freshman year for about $210.00 and they will last her all 4 years - that is a little over $50/yr for school clothes! Can’t beat it and no crazy mornings!</p>
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<p>YUP! Plus, the two skirts have been given a second life as Halloween costumes once DD went off to college. I understand they are in big demand every year.</p>
<p>Is it seriously that hard to think about what to wear without uniforms?</p>
<p>I do wonder if there shouldn’t be a dress code for staff sometimes though.
One principal often looked as if she was going out to dinner after, and some of the teachers wore flip flops.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see if there is push back on the uniforms, as the policy wasn’t mentioned before registration. It also isn’t a charter or private school.</p>
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<p>According to these statistics over 1/2 public schools (59.2%) have either required uniforms or had a strict dress code at least as far back as 1999. Between 1999 and 2007-2008 school year, it went up to 72.3%. The 2009-2010 stats are 75.8%.</p>
<p>[Table</a> 20.1. Percentage of public schools that used safety and security measures: Various school years, 1999–2000 through 2009–10](<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/crimeindicators2011/tables/table_20_1.asp]Table”>http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/crimeindicators2011/tables/table_20_1.asp)</p>
<p>So, 60% or more of parents sending their children to public school since 1999 (at least) have NOT had the expectation of a large parental say-so in these issues while their child is at school in the public system.</p>
<p>My son wore a uniform from four years old until 18. Polo shirt with school logo and khakis. What so bad about that? Kids looked nice.</p>
<p>And we had a dress code for staff as well. Jackets and pants and no jeans. What’s wrong with that?</p>
<p>No flip flops for anyone.</p>
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<p>Considering most people do it every day, I’d say no, it’s really not.</p>
<p>Does it say what a strict dress code means? ( I did see that 56.9%schools for the 2009-2010 year had “strict” dress code, up from 47.4 % in 1990-2000) I imagine this would mean something different in Mobile, than it would in Seattle.
:)</p>
<p>I did not see the survey questions at the website. I assume that “strict” meant at least it was enforced. </p>
<p>As I read the posts the complaint is that the parent does not get to dictate the child’s clothing. That would be a complaint even if the dress code was “liberal”. It still would be the school setting the limits, right?</p>
<p>We haven’t even touched on the possibility that a uniform might not meet religious or cultural standards of dress for some students.</p>
<p>We are an international school with children from around the planet. It’s easy. We have accepted a head scarf and a cap. What’s the big deal? We have Jews, Moslems, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Agnostics and Atheists. Most parents prefer the more conservative uniform.</p>
<p>My reason for starting the thread was because Seattle has a new public elementary school with a math science focus. Both my daughters especially my youngest may have been interested in that focus depending on how it was implemented.
But for reasons which I’ve already detailed, required uniforms would eliminate that school as a choice, and I wondered if anyone else had similar concerns.
I’ve gotten a range of responses, but I still am not clear on reasoning for uniforms other than to make decisions easier in the morning and a sense of school spirit.</p>
<p>It is interesting the this is in Seattle. I’m sure you are painfully aware that the Seattle area is getting a lot of attention on what is often reported as gang related crime/violence, drive-by shootings and other events in Kent, Yakima, Kennewick, etc.</p>
<p>I wonder if the “whys” of any Seattle public school moving to uniforms could include a reaction to this perception. One of the primary reasons given for uniforms is gang affiliation. Start the uniform now and in elementary school.</p>
<p>It would seem that those families and kids most resistant to uniforms are the one placing the most value on clothing and what is represents socially. If it doesn’t matter what you wear because it is not a status or social statement…then what is the big deal and why the resistance to a uniform? And, if supposedly no one else cares about what you wear to high school, again, then it wouldn’t matter if you were wearing uniform.</p>
<p>As to the OP’s concern regarding the elimination of an entire wardrobe due to horsey nipped holes in jeans…DD is also into horses…and from the very beginning we taught her that there were working clothes and non-working clothes. It would never occur to her to wear her barn clothing to school or her school clothing to the barn. Not to mentioned…no barn shoes in school or the house!</p>
<p>Grade and high school uniforms have traditionally been associated with the Catholic school system. Could the resistance be due to the fact that others may make the assumption the kids are at a Catholic school? (there’s that clothing and social statement link again). I know our local Christian schools refuse uniforms for that reason.</p>
<p>I think what some of us are tiptoeing around is, the perception at least, that public schools that have uniforms are much more likely to be full of poor children. Middle class liberal people (like me) resist uniforms in public schools (think it’s a good thing that kids can express themselves through how they dress), and figure if a school has uniforms it will not be a good fit for our kids. My kids went to a very diverse ‘all city draw’ school. We had lots of poor kids, but also middle class families who valued the fact that the school reflected the diversity of the city. Uniforms may have been welcomed by some, but I think would have been a deal breaker for most of the middle class families. In my opinion, uniforms in public schools send a message that kids can’t be expected to behave properly on their own so have to have their choices limited. (I think private school uniforms are more about marketing and cohesion, and sometimes modesty)</p>
<p>Yes, if it’s a deal breaker they send their kids to Catholic or private schools with-------uniforms. So there are obviously good uniforms and bad uniforms. I get that. Really</p>
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<p>I’m thinking you are meaning to question someone else. I can see both sides to the student uniform issue. I just think requiring teacher uniforms is silly, regardless of whether there are student uniforms or not.</p>
<p>As a parent, sending my children to public schools without uniforms, I set standards for my children. My horse riding daughter did not wear her horse clothes to school. My dance daughter did not wear her dance clothes to school. I didn’t allow them to wear t-shirts with writing on them unless they had something to do with the school. (Class t-shirts for example.) The dress code was not as strict as I was.</p>
<p>If anyone questions whether dress codes/uniforms squeeze “expression” creative, individual or otherwise from kids–google “dress code swag youtube”!</p>
<p>Kids find a way to make a comment no matter what the circumstances.</p>