More Knox County schools could have their own dress codes next year

[Lola Alapo]

After the success of dress standards at two Knox County high schools, about 20 other schools are thinking about implementing their own.
They're careful not to call them uniforms.

See the story at http://knoxnews.com/news/2009/jan/21/20-more-knox-schools-interested/

What do you think about schools having their own dress standards? How do you think this will impact students? parents' wallets?

Lola Alapo
K-12 Education Reporter
Knoxville News Sentinel

[Roxy Hodge]

Dress standards are not the same as "carefully not called uniforms". Life and clothing are not equal, not everything is that our children or parents cope with everyday. Our society is now stating we need to dress alike so no one feels different, no need to think about our clothes, give everyone the same trophy regardless of accomplishments or let us not recognize them at all so not to offend those who did not reach the goals. Let us average everyone's grade in the class so that the A students now can become B or C ,students and the B and C and D students don't need to strive because it will be given to them, what happens when no more A students are there to make them equal? Zero tolerance is in this mix as well so that no one needs to think things through and make a logical decision. I know this got off topic but I am not raising robots to be rubber stamped thru a system we support. Go to the dollar store buy 5 five or less of jeans, do laundry, get sweat shirts, tees and a few nice button downs, will cost just as much as the khaki's and black pant "uniforms". If the hardest decision you have is what to wear to school in the morning is, the rest of your decisions are not going to be any easier.

[Cheri Howlett]

I am against uniforms. I personally hated them as a child that attended a private school. However, I do not like some of the styles of today.

As for the way I see some kids dress in high school, obviously the dress codes are not enforced.

It's all about Freedom of choice. We are not in boot camp or prison!!

[Ahnna]

Of course the students are not in boot camp or prison! However, part of the reason uniforms are used in those places are the same reasons they make sense in the school environment. 1. They put everyone on a more even playing field. 2. The people who "are in charge" don't have to be concerned with "distracting" attire. 3. The participant's groups are easily identified, this is the reason sports teams use uniforms. Personnally I am in favor of school uniforms. My primary reasons are that it frees the school staff and administration from playing clothes police, they can focus on educating the students. Secondly, students who cannot afford the designer clothes don't have to feel like outcasts. Lastly, there are many other ways for students to express their individuality. How about in their involvement in school activities and the academic requirements.

[Cheri Howlett]

Wow, we really do have problems in schools if we are so worried about what the next person is wearing. Academics - hmmmmm Well, let see where our Tennessee schools rank in the United States Hmmm - how many students graduate high school and how many drop out - these are important issues - How many special education students never receive an appropriate education ? Another great idea would be to take a look at the curriculum that is being taught to our kids? Is it appropriate?

Somehow I don't believe that academics will improve by changing what the students are wearing. Teaching the real world concept is the best scenario. Not everyone will be on the same page and unfortunately that is life. If our kids are doing without then that is exactly why we need to instill morals and high expectations so that these kids have a goal to strive for.

Let's remember - maybe we should be teaching our children to not judge a book by its cover and just maybe our kids could learn manners and morals which is barely seen in this day and age. It's what on the inside that counts.

As for the trashy clothes, unfortunately this is what our society has created.

There are too many topics that we should be discussing regarding our children's education and this is at the very bottom of my list.

[Ahnna]

I agree with you completely, the dress code/uniform issue is only one area of our educational system that needs attention. However, by removing this distraction the students, educators and administration can begin to focus on the other areas you mentioned in your post. I noticed you really didn't address my reasons for agreeing with a dress code.

[Roxy Hodge]

I agree if anyone wants to blend in they know the "uniform" to wear and would more easily be looked over.

[Lisa Starbuck]

What is it exactly that the dress standards are trying to accomplish? If it is so that the children will wear less trashy clothing, I'm all for it. I can't believe what I see kids wearing at the mall - but then again, they are just reflecting the hip-hop, gangsta culture they see on TV. Have you seen what kind of clothing they have in the stores for 6-12 year old girls? They are trying to make the little girls look like miniature adults, and tacky ones at that.

[Debi]

As a mom I'm all for the same thing every day. As a person it's more of an assimilation instead of a free society. In some ways I don't think a public institution has a right to assign a particular color pant or shirt as mandatory to learn. On the other, who cares. So I guess I could go either way. Except I don't recall anything in NCLB stating uniforms are part of the gig.

[Veena]

I taught at a school that had strict dress code for Monday to Thursday. On Friday, the students could wear jeans. I found that most students looked decently dressed on Friday. They looked smart and decent in their jeans and collared T-shirt or shirt. I am not sure uniforms really accomplish much.

[Hushicho]

Frankly, uniforms are just another excuse for brainwashed conformity. And, speaking as someone who attended several schools that required uniforms, they don't help reduce teasing and bullying amongst students, and they certainly do not help any sort of focus on academics. It also does not in any way make teachers and faculty be any less "clothes police", because they still have to make sure everyone is wearing his or her uniform -- usually this takes even more attention than a more casual dress code. If uniforms are adopted, it will simply mean faculty being required to carry rulers, tape measures, and whatnot, making sure that hemlines are within guidelines and so forth.

Many uniform standards also incorporate hair length and so forth, which is flat-out wrong, and usually applied in a sexist manner. Hair length and related concerns do not have anything to do with concentrating on learning; they're just another attempt to enforce conformity, which is what uniforms -- and the very word "uniform" -- are. Most uniforms are a pain to wear, have no consideration for comfort or moving, heat or cold, and are made of the most horrible materials. They are nothing but holdovers from a bygone age of the white picket fence illusion of suburbia, where every little house was made to look the same, and where every person was expected to fall in with the general consensus. That went out with the 60s. It's nearly half a century later.

When these people say "it'll let us concentrate more on academics", that's nothing but a bromide. They should already be concentrating on academics. I've seen the state of the current educational system, and it needs an overhaul. Instituting uniforms does not count as that overhaul. It is, however, yet another way that politicians and school board members are attempting to convince parents to support their causes, because quite simply they are out of touch with youth...just like they always have been, over the years. Even looking back on my own time in required schooling, it was exactly the same: faculty constantly harped that styles and fashions popular with youth were distracting, pulled focus off of learning, et cetera. Did they examine teaching methods, textbook accuracy and excellence, personal attention to students, overcrowding, inordinate amounts of funds being funnelled to sports programs, and so forth? No. Of course not. Because that would take actual effort.

The only thing uniforms free up is students to make fun of other, more hurtful qualities. If they can't make fun of your clothes -- which shouldn't really be a major concern in the first place -- they're going to make fun of your face. Your name. Your family. Your skin, your eyes, your manner of speaking...they're going to choose other things. And it is still not even remotely going to be about learning. Besides which, if anyone thought students couldn't make fun of a uniform if they're all wearing the same thing, they're terribly mistaken. Not everyone wears clothes the same way. One style suits one person that doesn't suit another. And it's this cookie-cutter way of thinking that is so distressing. I agree with Roxy Hodge; they should not be stamped little robots rushed through a system. Uniforms do exactly that, they encourage blind conformity and suppress individual voice.

If the school system is so convinced uniforms are the answer, and if they are serious about this being about "learning" and "for the benefit of the students", then let's see them put their money where their mouth is: they can give out five complete uniforms in each student's size, for free, at the beginning of every school year, shoes included. Any takers? I didn't think so.

The schools I attended during my youth that had merely a less formal dress code -- consisting of sensible pants or jeans with no gaping holes, shirts without garish logos (but designs were acceptable), and sensible shoes -- were the better experiences. Why? Because we could concentrate on learning, instead of worrying whether or not our clothes would pass muster. Have any of you supporting uniforms ever actually attended class in them? Probably not, or else you'd realize that wearing them only makes you worry about whether or not someone is going to accuse you of not wearing it right...and send you home. That doesn't sound very conducive to a good learning experience, to me.

Uniforms do make students feel even more imprisoned in school, not that they have to stretch that much; many schools are already like prisons anyway, and students treated worse than convicted criminals. Let's take a stand against uniforms, so that children can have the freedom to choose what they like, as long as they dress sensibly. Childhood is such a brief period. They should be allowed to enjoy it while they have it, not be forced to dress and groom themselves to someone else's unreasonable expectations that do not take into account their individualism. What works for one person or even school does not work for another. Clothing is something that is very much a part of this.

Most people who support uniforms are just ones who don't want to bother connecting with youth...something teachers are paid to do. If they can't find themselves doing it, they should find themselves another, more suitable job. Clothing is not going to close the gap; that's not enough. There needs to be an understanding between the groups. Only when that happens will learning be improved and schools be bettered. Uniforms interfere with learning, because they put a stronger emphasis on how someone dresses and looks than who that person is.

[Mike Norris]

What sort of "success" have uniforms created at Fulton and Austin East? Someone please provide something real. I suspect that the only real success is that uniforms were installed. Our school administration has now decided to look at uniforms. A recent parent meeting provided a survey for those attending. We were probably about 100 to 150 strong with this number including students and staff. The newspaper seemed to indicate that the CHANGE needed to be approved by at least 50% of parents. This group was anything but representative of our school body. I may be wrong, but it seems that this is a done deal. I suspect that the numbers will be presented as a majority and we will have "success" at South Doyle. I have several questions that I feel are important and I hope that a forum is provided for questions. This night did not really provide an opportunity. I realize that most educators believe uniforms are a good idea, but give us non educators valid data to prove this. Why can we not enforce our current dress code? Who will pay for new clothes for those that receive free or reduced lunches? Will we be forced to buy from a vendor that will profit from this? For years we have heard about our children needing to be culturally diverse and tolerant of all people groups, so what gives with wanting them to now conform to a standard of uniformity? Please give me some real data other than "success" so that I might feel better about this.

[Roxy Hodge]

Will teachers/staff/admin/janitors/caf workers/principals all wear this "uniform" also ? what about visitors to the school? We need to feel we belong and not be singled out...