Uniform Sense, Please

It’s back. The all-too-familiar debate about school uniforms in our public schools.

The most recent manifestation is in Pinellas County, where the superintendent suggested a districtwide, K-8 uniform policy.  You’d think she wanted to mandate farthingales and leisure suits. Controversy, as always, ensued. Not enough parental buy-in. “What about individuality?”  “What about student choice?” School officials will settle for a re-writing of the dress code.

A dress code is better than no dress code, but there will always be loopholes and ACLU challenges.

Actually, you would think the first reaction of parents to uniforms would be: “Thank you.” If there’s anything our public schools can use, it’s the wherewithal to impose more discipline and to mitigate the impact of the popular culture — and its inherent capacity to distract and intrude on the learning process. Also saves money.

Let’s be honest. Just because a person is a parent, doesn’t make that person an expert on anything, including parenting. Let’s let the education professionals, those who must deal daily with a diverse body of students in a challenging learning environment, have the ultimate say.

One of the rare school districts in the country that has actually implemented a districtwide uniform policy from K through middle school is Polk County. The first year after uniforms — khakis and a polo shirt — discipline problems decreased by nearly 40 per cent. Now, more than a decade later, no one thinks twice about the policy.

Ironically, in most other districts not enough people think once about the merits of a common-sense uniform policy.

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