Ten speakers and a full house showed up in polite and well-argued opposition to school uniforms, but the Starkville School District went against the apparent majority and voted unanimously on what they”re calling a dress code policy.
Despite previous split votes, all five board members agreed to require all students to wear what is commonly referred to as school uniforms. Pickett Wilson made the motion, which was seconded by Eddie Myles.
Before the vote, Carrie Copeland, Sarah and Martin Coleman, Jennifer Burgess, Jonita Thompson, Rosiland Ashford, Kate Fabel, Renee Matich, Sally Gray and Ralph Olivieri all addressed the board in opposition to uniforms. Major points of their remarks include:
Copeland — Thinks there are better ways to address school safety, such as closing campuses with fence and locking doors. The cost of uniforms will be a burden to many families. The district”s existing dress code has only been in place for four years, and that is not being followed closely.
Sarah Coleman — “When I put it all together, I don”t see that the benefits are outweighing the costs.” Many families, especially those with multiple children, use hand-me-downs and buy used clothing. Uniforms will be an unfair burden to them.
Martin Coleman — Is a high school counselor at a neighboring school district that requires uniforms. He keeps socks in his office to help students out of uniform not get in trouble. A true uniform policy must be black and white and leave no room for judgement calls. “If someone wanted to come on our campus, all they have to do is wear the perfect uniform.” And the focus on uniforms means “we”re really not talking about relevant things.”
Burgess — Look at other alternatives to improve school safety. Raised questions about style versus color and how uniforms will be useful for identification when students are wearing coats on the playground and before and after school. Suggested if the board wants to require uniforms, they start with one clothing item like a shirt and evaluate effectiveness in a year. “We have a dress code in place. I would like to see it enforced.”
Thompson — Found that buying just five pairs of pants each for her three boys would cost about $240, “something I do not have.” Shops all year for sales and off-season bargains to dress her boys cost-effectively. Uniforms will have to be bought all at once at full price.
Ashford — Said she spoke to 500 people about this issue and “all but 25-30 oppose the implementation of uniforms.” Said the few in favor cited “the reduction of morning arguments as the reasons the want the school district to implement uniforms.” Asked if out-of-uniform days are considered on occasion, “why is the district not concerned about safety” on those days?
Fabel — Grew up in Uzbekistan where children were required to wear uniforms as part of “a policy of sameness” and a comprehensive system to encourage thinking that aligned with government beliefs. “This is a public school, a system that embraces, not discourages, diversity. Uniforms don”t do this.”
Matich – Said the budget cuts situation is frightening, and the issue of uniforms should be saved for later when families and the school district are not fighting financial battles. “Let”s table this issue for now. Let”s pick it up later. I view it like our house is on fire; let”s not decide whether to paint or wallpaper.” Bigger issues are cutting teachers, larger class size and educator pay. “We don”t need to divide our community on this.”
Gray — “This is a passing fad.” The state funds education at half the national level, Starkville has two schools at risk of failing and yet it is a university town “rich in human resources.” Enforce the existing dress code, don”t add to it. “A clear majority has spoken out against this issue and with good reason.”
Olivieri — “The uniform policy, aka the dress code, is just plain wrong for this community, our public schools and our students.” Said Starkville is a smart town and the board would be wise not to underestimate the homework those in opposition have done on this subject. “There is no reason to deny a student an education because of the style or shade of a shirt.” Asked the school board to vote the policy down and focus on the issues that matter most. “We cannot afford to allow our schools to be used at laboratories and our children to be used as guinea pigs.”
The board offered no comments to the speakers, but did have the chance to discuss the issue before they voted.
Keith Coble acknowledged that the issue has been controversial and asked Superintendent Judy Couey to clarify why she has said a dress code policy is a safety issue.
“This is not a magic bullet,” Couey said. “While this is not an end-all, be-all, it is a solution that has been proposed.”
Other solutions include identification badges, school resource officers, locked doors and fences.
Coble said there are many safety risks possible at schools.
“Mrs. Couey is arguing that this will mitigate risk. We know there is a cost,” he said.
“At the end of the day, reasonable people could disagree about this policy, but I hope we all continue to work for the good of the schools,” Coble said.
Walter Taylor asked her to address how violations would be handled. Couey said although these would be disciplinary issues, they would be handled as dress code violations and not treated as if they were disciplinary referrals for something like fighting. He asked the board to revisit the dress code policy every year “to see if it is really working for our district.”
Bill Weeks said he liked to see the public get involved on this issue.
Wilson said those opposed to the dress code policy were the most vocal, but she heard privately from others who were in favor of uniforms but did not want to speak publicly. She also said Couey is the state”s best expert in K-12 education, so she followed her lead on this issue.
Myles did not speak to the issue.
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