BES pilots process for school uniform debate
Monday, March 26. 2012
Will Barrow County students be forced to wear uniforms to school? Not this year at least and maybe not ever — the issue has been a hot topic, both in the community and at recent meetings at the school and cluster levels. However, the ones who are making the ultimate decision — those on the Barrow County Board of Education — aren’t even involved yet.
Discussing the possibility of requiring kids to wear school uniforms appeared on the January agendas of the system’s two Cluster Governance Team meetings.
Still in its infancy, the school system’s new charter system government is only just beginning to iron out how it will gain information from parents, meet, vote and make recommendations to go before the board. The issue of mandating school uniforms is a long way away for the system — if it ever gets a recommendation. Both Cluster Governance Teams, Apalachee and Winder-Barrow, unanimously decided this week to make a consolidated effort to gain input from parents on the possibility of implementing school uniforms in their respective schools. Each school governance team, however, is given free rein to proceed with bringing a recommendation to the Superintendent if it wants to move ahead of the pack.
BETHLEHEM PILOTS PROCESS
One school in the system has proven to be the pilot for discussion — and criticism — relating to school uniforms. Bethlehem Elementary School Governance Team members began discussing the topic in December of 2011. January minutes of the BES SGT meeting state that team’s reasons for exploring the concept are how it affects economics, discipline, school pride and team spirit, as well as limiting distractions in the classroom.
At last week’s Apalachee Cluster Governance Team meeting, BES Principal Marisa Grant shared the school’s successes throughout the process, which included sending surveys home with students, polling other school districts for feedback on the process and finding ways to gain parental approval.
The school held a series of parent-information sessions Thursday and Friday where students reportedly modeled garments that were priced out from local retailers, like Belk, Wal-Mart and Target, and included solid-colored collared shirts, slacks, shorts or knee-length skirts and closed-toed shoes at a 3-pack price of around $50.
Lisandra Solis, the mother of two girls, attended one of those meetings, and is in total favor of changing to uniforms. Solis is a recent transplant from New Jersey, where her children wore uniforms to public schools, and she advocates it in Bethlehem for the same reasons: safety, cost effectiveness and to minimize children from profiling each other based on what they wear.
On cost, she said: “I don’t have to worry about looking for clothes to dress my children in the morning.” On safety, she said: “Officers are able to see if my child is not in school based on what she is wearing. The uniform will protect their safety.” On profiling, she said: “When public schools wear uniforms, everyone is on the same level. Kids don’t have to worry about clothes and shoes. At the public schools in New Jersey that wear uniforms — they start in elementary school and work themselves up into high school. As they move onto the next level, they have already been using the uniform.”
But while Solis says the cost to outfit her children in uniforms is cheaper, another parent says it’s too much.
Rachel Henson, mother of one boy and one girl, attended one of those meetings, as well, and she is opposed to the idea of implementing school uniforms mainly because of how much it will cost the parents.
“Your kids are going to wear the uniforms to school, but they’re going to want to change when they get home,” she said. “I would still have to buy two separate sets of clothes. It’s not saving me any money at all.”
“Many people now are out of a job,” she said. “I don’t feel that they should be requiring us to pay any extra when you look at people in Barrow County who are struggling on a day to day basis.”
As far as the social advantages to kids wearing uniforms to school, Henson said, “They think this will decrease the bullying and make the kids feel like they fit in? That starts in the home. I really don’t feel that it’s your place to tell my child how to dress. You’re really challenging amendments there. If you take that from them now, how much are they going to believe from their teachers?”
A faculty and staff poll at BES about uniforms was reportedly at 80 percent in favor and 20 percent against making kids wear them. However, parents seem split at about 50-50 at this point, said Henson, who plans to get a petition going around in the school system.
“With the economy the way it is, I don’t really see that this is reasonable,” said Henson. “I’m hoping everything will work out for what’s best for the parents and kids.”
Either way BES goes, it has the ability to choose without the whole system following its lead. Depending on when the recommendation is made to the school board, a change — if proposed and passed, would not take place until next school year.
And even then, there has been talk of an “opt-out” opportunity available. “Even if you have an opt-out option, you still have half the school in regular clothes,” said Henson. “Why start an entire argument with the whole county? It’s really a whole mess as far as what I can see as a parent. I, for one, feel that Bethlehem is the best school in the county, but I would hate to not be able to say that due to the fact that every person on the School Governance Team is for (school uniforms).”
Melissa Montgomery, mother of two boys, is also against an opt-out option. “What goal is truly going to be met if half of the students don’t have to abide by it?” she said. “It shows zero school unity. If one should have to do it, they all should have to do it.”
But unlike Henson, Montgomery says school uniforms will be cheaper for her household. “I want it because it’s better on my wallet, but I’m for it being for everyone,” she said. “It has to be all or none. There are exceptions based on religious or medical reasons, but in general, I don’t want to tell my kids that they have to do it but their friends don’t.”
As for what effect a standard set of attire may have on her sons, Montgomery said, “School uniforms will not change who they are. This is the least of my worries. Not having to rifle through clothing in the morning and just knowing I put a pair of pants and shirt on them is fine. My children are going to be who they are going to be no matter what clothes they wear. They are in school to learn. That’s the bottom line to me. Parents can make their children feel better about themselves at home. In my eyes, it’s more cost-efficient for this household. It may not be for every household, but my household is my priority.”
INPUT FROM OTHER SCHOOLS
The Apalachee and Winder-Barrow cluster governance teams agreed to use the Bethlehem Elementary model to poll parents and other community members for input on the issue of uniforms at their school levels. At the Wednesday and Thursday cluster meetings, the principals of Barrow County Schools shared their experiences bringing up the topic to their faculty and staff. Some had already gone a step further and sent surveys home.
“The topic didn’t get much interest at all,” principal Glen Wilson of Apalachee High School said.
Kennedy Elementary School principal Ryan Butcher said the interest at his school was there, “but not enough to need a survey to go forward.”
“We brought it up and talked about it,” said Chris McMichael, principal of County-Line Elementary School. “We had a pretty good discussion about it, but they weren’t 100 percent in favor of it.”
SUPERINTENDENT’S CONCERNS
School superintendent Wanda Creel made clear at last week’s meetings that she thinks community members are still uneducated on the new government process for the school system.
“Out in the community, the thought with some is that the system made the decision to go with school uniforms and that’s what we’re going to do,” said Creel. “The reason that uniforms was brought forward is because we have children that are in feeder schools… so we saw this as a concept that may have overarching effects beyond just a school.”
Creel reminded teams of their focus. “One of the things we are working diligently at in our school system is seeking input from a broader audience and so, when there are opportunities that lend themselves at gaining opinions, I strongly encourage us to do those.”
Still in its infancy, the school system’s new charter system government is only just beginning to iron out how it will gain information from parents, meet, vote and make recommendations to go before the board. The issue of mandating school uniforms is a long way away for the system — if it ever gets a recommendation. Both Cluster Governance Teams, Apalachee and Winder-Barrow, unanimously decided this week to make a consolidated effort to gain input from parents on the possibility of implementing school uniforms in their respective schools. Each school governance team, however, is given free rein to proceed with bringing a recommendation to the Superintendent if it wants to move ahead of the pack.
BETHLEHEM PILOTS PROCESS
One school in the system has proven to be the pilot for discussion — and criticism — relating to school uniforms. Bethlehem Elementary School Governance Team members began discussing the topic in December of 2011. January minutes of the BES SGT meeting state that team’s reasons for exploring the concept are how it affects economics, discipline, school pride and team spirit, as well as limiting distractions in the classroom.
At last week’s Apalachee Cluster Governance Team meeting, BES Principal Marisa Grant shared the school’s successes throughout the process, which included sending surveys home with students, polling other school districts for feedback on the process and finding ways to gain parental approval.
The school held a series of parent-information sessions Thursday and Friday where students reportedly modeled garments that were priced out from local retailers, like Belk, Wal-Mart and Target, and included solid-colored collared shirts, slacks, shorts or knee-length skirts and closed-toed shoes at a 3-pack price of around $50.
Lisandra Solis, the mother of two girls, attended one of those meetings, and is in total favor of changing to uniforms. Solis is a recent transplant from New Jersey, where her children wore uniforms to public schools, and she advocates it in Bethlehem for the same reasons: safety, cost effectiveness and to minimize children from profiling each other based on what they wear.
On cost, she said: “I don’t have to worry about looking for clothes to dress my children in the morning.” On safety, she said: “Officers are able to see if my child is not in school based on what she is wearing. The uniform will protect their safety.” On profiling, she said: “When public schools wear uniforms, everyone is on the same level. Kids don’t have to worry about clothes and shoes. At the public schools in New Jersey that wear uniforms — they start in elementary school and work themselves up into high school. As they move onto the next level, they have already been using the uniform.”
But while Solis says the cost to outfit her children in uniforms is cheaper, another parent says it’s too much.
Rachel Henson, mother of one boy and one girl, attended one of those meetings, as well, and she is opposed to the idea of implementing school uniforms mainly because of how much it will cost the parents.
“Your kids are going to wear the uniforms to school, but they’re going to want to change when they get home,” she said. “I would still have to buy two separate sets of clothes. It’s not saving me any money at all.”
“Many people now are out of a job,” she said. “I don’t feel that they should be requiring us to pay any extra when you look at people in Barrow County who are struggling on a day to day basis.”
As far as the social advantages to kids wearing uniforms to school, Henson said, “They think this will decrease the bullying and make the kids feel like they fit in? That starts in the home. I really don’t feel that it’s your place to tell my child how to dress. You’re really challenging amendments there. If you take that from them now, how much are they going to believe from their teachers?”
A faculty and staff poll at BES about uniforms was reportedly at 80 percent in favor and 20 percent against making kids wear them. However, parents seem split at about 50-50 at this point, said Henson, who plans to get a petition going around in the school system.
“With the economy the way it is, I don’t really see that this is reasonable,” said Henson. “I’m hoping everything will work out for what’s best for the parents and kids.”
Either way BES goes, it has the ability to choose without the whole system following its lead. Depending on when the recommendation is made to the school board, a change — if proposed and passed, would not take place until next school year.
And even then, there has been talk of an “opt-out” opportunity available. “Even if you have an opt-out option, you still have half the school in regular clothes,” said Henson. “Why start an entire argument with the whole county? It’s really a whole mess as far as what I can see as a parent. I, for one, feel that Bethlehem is the best school in the county, but I would hate to not be able to say that due to the fact that every person on the School Governance Team is for (school uniforms).”
Melissa Montgomery, mother of two boys, is also against an opt-out option. “What goal is truly going to be met if half of the students don’t have to abide by it?” she said. “It shows zero school unity. If one should have to do it, they all should have to do it.”
But unlike Henson, Montgomery says school uniforms will be cheaper for her household. “I want it because it’s better on my wallet, but I’m for it being for everyone,” she said. “It has to be all or none. There are exceptions based on religious or medical reasons, but in general, I don’t want to tell my kids that they have to do it but their friends don’t.”
As for what effect a standard set of attire may have on her sons, Montgomery said, “School uniforms will not change who they are. This is the least of my worries. Not having to rifle through clothing in the morning and just knowing I put a pair of pants and shirt on them is fine. My children are going to be who they are going to be no matter what clothes they wear. They are in school to learn. That’s the bottom line to me. Parents can make their children feel better about themselves at home. In my eyes, it’s more cost-efficient for this household. It may not be for every household, but my household is my priority.”
INPUT FROM OTHER SCHOOLS
The Apalachee and Winder-Barrow cluster governance teams agreed to use the Bethlehem Elementary model to poll parents and other community members for input on the issue of uniforms at their school levels. At the Wednesday and Thursday cluster meetings, the principals of Barrow County Schools shared their experiences bringing up the topic to their faculty and staff. Some had already gone a step further and sent surveys home.
“The topic didn’t get much interest at all,” principal Glen Wilson of Apalachee High School said.
Kennedy Elementary School principal Ryan Butcher said the interest at his school was there, “but not enough to need a survey to go forward.”
“We brought it up and talked about it,” said Chris McMichael, principal of County-Line Elementary School. “We had a pretty good discussion about it, but they weren’t 100 percent in favor of it.”
SUPERINTENDENT’S CONCERNS
School superintendent Wanda Creel made clear at last week’s meetings that she thinks community members are still uneducated on the new government process for the school system.
“Out in the community, the thought with some is that the system made the decision to go with school uniforms and that’s what we’re going to do,” said Creel. “The reason that uniforms was brought forward is because we have children that are in feeder schools… so we saw this as a concept that may have overarching effects beyond just a school.”
Creel reminded teams of their focus. “One of the things we are working diligently at in our school system is seeking input from a broader audience and so, when there are opportunities that lend themselves at gaining opinions, I strongly encourage us to do those.”
I wear a suit most times and can feel a positive difference in the way I am spoken to compared to when Im in jeans and a shirt, so this might be a good thing to try and see if it is for the greater good.