A lot has changed since I went to school, some schools have metal detectors, random drug raids, lockdowns but I would say the most annoying thing is the "dress code".
Now I don't mind if a school decides to have a uniform, I'm all for that! But the administration at the EASD is like a wishy washy parent. They don't ever FULLY stick to their "dress code" regulations and the ones that they DO decide to enforce are just plain ole ridiculous.
I remember a few years ago I was given a letter stating all of the "exceptable" clothes the children had to wear...which included khaki slacks and plan shirts with no logos, symbols etc. I did all my school shopping to only find out ONE WEEK before school started, that they had a relapse in judgement and went back to whatever the dress code had been before (which allowed for jeans, shirts with logos/symbols). The only things they were worried about were holes in jeans, profanity, unnatural colored hair, etc. . I was HEATED, because I had to buy MORE clothes because Najja wouldn't want to only wear those things since it was no long mandatory. I still made her wear most of the clothes but there were a few khaki's that never got worn and the few shirts and pants she did wear were few and far between (Still looking like new when she outgrew them)
This year, for the first week of school she wore a skirt with leggings underneath them. I warned her prior to leaving for work that she should bring jeans just in case. She being a preteen thought she knew everything and decided not to. She got in trouble because even though she had on pants, the skirt did not follow the dress code and she had the nerve to call me at work to ask if I could bring her a change of clothes. Of course I told her that since she "knew better than me" she can take her punishment (which was an in-school suspension).
She started gym this quarter and to my surprise, she told me that she has a "dress code" for gym...GYM!?!? She has to wear either black or red short and a plain white top. I really don't understand why it's necessary for me to buy a uniform for GYM!
Please explain the logic, maybe I'm missing something. What is the need to have such a specific dress code for gym? I can understand the sneakers, shorts and shirt policy like the one we had when I went to EastBurg, but why is it so important to have the school colors for gym? When we had to break up in groups for sports like basketball or volleyball they provided us with smocks. I think if they want the kids to wear the school colors for gym, they should supply the gear! What's your take?
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14 comments:
Sounds annoying and expensive for parents to keep up with!
When I was a girl, believe it or not, I wished we had school uniforms, because we were poor, and it seemed like all the other kids had more money and therefore more clothes, which affected the pecking order in elementary school a lot (even in rural Alaska). I thought if everyone were forced to wear the same uniform it would be an equalizer, and everyone would be treated more fairly. Ah, youth. I guess this is proof of just how much of a nerd I was!
But it seems to me that if the school sets a dress code, they should stick to it--it is aggravating as a taxpayer to know that when a school is proposing an 11.85% tax hike and is in Corrective Action II for the third year, that school administrators can't find more important things to focus their time and energy on, like finding ways to improve student learning and performance, or finding waste to cut in the budget to give taxpayers a break. The idea of administrators sitting around a table discussing khaki vs. jeans drives me nuts.
why not first develop a dress code for the teachers and administrators. That would set the example for the students. It's not rocket science.
Here's an interesting tidbit. If the child is not dressed for gym (appropriate colors/acceptable gym clothing) the child cannot take class that day. If the child mises more than 3 gym classes they fail gym. (taking gym during summer school is $180). Students must pass 4 years of gym to graduate. If a parent cant afford to buy gym clothes what is the child to do? Could be a contributing factor as to why there are so many students either being held back or dropping/failing out. Instead of buying new football uniforms each year maybe gym clothes should be isued to each child so at least the child has a chance to be successful despite the parents ability to pay for gym clothes. Maybe some of that tax hike can go towards this???
Laura Accetta
Weed and Seed Site Coordinator
I grew up in what would be called "privileged" life.My father was an extremely successful business man who had made a million by the time he was 30 yrs old and he came from a home where my grandfather was a Hungarian Jewish Gypsy whose family managed to escape Nazi Germany and find refuge in the US.My mother's family were Irish Catholic's and my grandfather on her side worked for the railroad.Both of their families struggled and my parents did their very best to see that my sister and I had the best of opportunities.
In as such,I attended a private girls school where I am grateful for the fine education I received.We were required to wear uniforms and there was no deviation.In hind sight it may not have been such a bad thing.But it was a strictly enforced dress code and a very strict curriculum.
Being raised in a home that celebrated all of the Jewish holidays and all of the secular holidays is probably what led me to being somewhat open minded.After all I got to understand the Holocaust and Santa Clause and my parents taught us to be tolerant of another person's views.
In my high school years my father started a business venture on the eastern coast of Florida where I experienced the public school system and rampant racism,but that is another story.I did experience "Culture Shock" during those times and I am sure that is what inspires me to question what I don't understand.Suddenly there where no uniforms and I was from "Up North",well talk about teenage dilemma. I wanted to fit in,but didn't.My clothes were wrong ,they said I talked funny and I was pretty miserable.Ah,teenage angst.
I became a rebel.
As my own children entered school and having done the single Mom thing,I know just how hard it is to provide the newest sneakers,a new book bag or backpack etc.So if a dress code is in effect enforce it,simple. This action is just yet something else to distract the real issues.Noel you are 100% correct,I have no tolerance for such trivial focuses when we are looking at folks loosing their homes due to the tax hike.This is another problem with EASD.Quit the efforts to smoke screen issues that are important and focus on a solution to a tax hike.Don't create more animosity by discussing uniforms instead of how to best prepare our youth for the challenges that lay ahead of them in today's economy.Talk about need for Leadership here,it is about as apparent as it was the night I attended the School Board meeting and saw the communication or lack of it that I felt was an issue.And I too find it frustrating that something this simple becomes public debate while in the interim,folks are fearing the tax issue and perhaps the loss of their homes.Now that scares me!With 51% of children living in poverty and we are worried about blue jeans.By the way, were parents ever polled about uniforms,I would like to know? Thank you for bringing up another topic that effects "our" children.
Oh and I forgot one thing Laura makes an excellent point she addresses the problem and poses a solution."Neighbors" has so much talent,and to see the West Word in the local stores fills me with pride to know how much effort went into the publication and to see people reading it,is even better!
Oh and I forgot one thing Laura makes an excellent point she addresses the problem and poses a solution."Neighbors" has so much talent,and to see the West Word in the local stores fills me with pride to know how much effort went into the publication and to see people reading it,is even better!
Good points, Laura.
I personally was never given the opportunity to vote on the dress code issue. If they would have asked me those 3-4 years ago I would have been all for a REAL dress code. I am 100% for it just because of what everyone mentioned about being singled out for not being able to buy the latest and fanciest gear.
But this wishy washy crap is just frustrating and THEN to add on top of it failing a child if they don't wear the school colors is just ridiculous. There are so many things that are more important, like the children getting a REAL education instead of cramming their heads full of answers for the pssa's for the year and never giving them real tools to succeed.
I can not believe that the EASD has not corrected one single dress code issue in the 14 years since I was a student there. I remember getting an in school suspension in 1994 for having rips in the knees of my jeans, while no action was taken to deal with the many students in shorts so short you could see their bottoms peeking out. I thought it was ridiculous then, and I still do. Either have an extremely strict dress code, have one that makes sense, or have uniforms. This nonsense needs to stop. As for the mandatory colors of gym clothes, the students and parents should all refuse to participate. Allowing a ridiculous rule like this to threaten a student's future is something everyone should be able see as wrong. If just one student fails gym and then potentially can not graduate over a color, then everyone should care. The fact that the majority of students and parents obeyed this rule when it was first put in place shows what a bunch of non thinking conformists this town is raising.
Just to add some perspective to the discussion, I had formal gym classes from 7th through 12th grade at Easton. These were the 70-71 through 75-76 school years so the concept is nothing new. We all had a standard set of gym clothes that included white shorts and a reversable red/white t-shirt. They were available in all the local department and sporting goods stores - probably because local business owners realized their customers needed them and made sure they were stocked.
I do not believe they were very expensive because they had no logos or special detailing. My parents were typical lower-middle class income people but it never seemed a big deal. This was a requirement of all students in the district...reversable tops being necessary for differentiating teams during gym class.
I don't know much about the other hub-bub over school dress codes but the gym clothes issue seems to be a tempest in a teapot. There are many issues to address about the current school administration. Perhaps we need to concentrate on the big ones and let things like this slide. Pick your fights well in order not to appear too thin skinned.
DRL
Sorry DRL, I completely disagree with you.
Just because your whole life you were told you were eating chocolate cake when it was crap, doesn't make it chocolate cake.
The problem is that the class is manditory and they are forcing you to buy a "uniform". it's not like I'm opting my kid to be on a team and I have to buy the supplies that go with it, they are "forcing" me to purchase a uniform and threating to hold back our children if we do not comply.
If you don't think it's a big deal, my daughter is a size 3 in the jr department at Boscovs. You can leave the bag on my front porch!
Dennis,
I do not know of one single store in the West Ward that a parent without a car could walk to to purchase the appropriate "gym" clothing. Please advise if you do and i will make sure to include it in the next Mosaic newsletter so that all the parents of school aged students without transportaion can purchase them. There is no problem with forcing students to wear a uniform for gym/phys.ed, just issue them. After-all, for many many many years they have been issuing uniformas to the football players, wrestlers, softball team, swimmers etc...Why not the general population? Is it any wonder so many kids fail gym and resultantly school. That is likely the least of the worries of many of these students.
Laura Accetta
Weed and Seed Site Coordinator
Many excellent points!
Personally, I think most dress codes [at school or work] are usually a substitute for something else. [If we can't be professional, at least we'll all look professional.]
But the little piece of trivia I wanted to add goes back to the original post: the Pennsylvania School Code says that 'School officials may not impose limitations on dress unless the attire causes the disruption of the educational process or constitutes a health or safety hazard.'
And it specifically gives students control over their own hair style. The only exception is if it's a health or safety hazard. [Not 'unnatural color'!]
So I think if schools want students to obey the rules, they should set an example by following the rules themselves.
Peter
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