Classy dressers: School Board looks at expanding uniform study

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Friday, June 13, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.

Plans to expand a pilot study requiring students at three Henderson elementary schools to wear uniforms moved a step closer to reality Thursday.

The Clark County School Board voted 5-1 to approve a notice of intent to expand the study to include two additional campuses this fall. The proposal must pass a second vote within a month.

Supporters of school uniforms credit them with everything from improved attendance to fewer discipline problems. Opponents, including the Nevada chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, claim there's been no definitive research showing any connection between student achievement and school dress codes.

The principals of Walker International and C.T. Sewell elementary schools, both in Henderson, asked the School Board Thursday to approve adding their campuses to the pilot study, citing strong support from students, staff and families for the proposal.

When Walker opened last year, all but 12 students showed up for the first day of classes in the recommended uniform attire, Principal Alan Bowman said. When the academic year ended last week, participation had dropped to about 70 percent, Bowman said.

"It's very difficult to sustain this kind of program when it's voluntary," Bowman said Thursday. "We want kids to realize that wearing a uniform is a way of sending the message, 'I'm here to learn.' Consistency is a key ingredient of that."

Bowman conferred with his staff and the school's families before submitting a request to district officials asking that Walker be added to the pilot study. A survey last October showed 83 percent of parents were in favor of the uniforms and at a March town hall meeting there was "overwhelming support," Bowman said.

At Sewell the support has also been strong -- over 80 percent of parents approved the policy change in a recent survey, Principal Denise Murray said.

Sewell is an at-risk campus and the uniform policy will help "level the playing field," Murray told board members during the public comment portion of the meeting Thursday. Fashion trends and fads leave children from less-wealthy families struggling to keep up, Murray said.

"A distinction will no longer be made between the haves and the have-nots," Murray said.

Typical uniform choices include pants or skirts in solid colors -- no jeans -- worn with white button-down or polo-style shirts. Sweaters or sweatshirts in school colors are allowed, along with shirts bearing the school's logo.

Some Clark County educators and parents say the mandatory uniform policy, which debuted last fall, has been a success at Lamping, Twitchell and Vanderburg elementary schools.

"The kids all take a lot of pride in their appearance, and that translates into a better overall attitude in the classroom," said Vanderburg Principal Catherine Maggiore. "The policy has been a huge hit for us here."

When students occasionally showed up out of uniform, it never took more than a private talk with their teacher to bring them in line the next day, Maggiore said.

At Vanderburg, a twice-monthly clothing store run by the PTA allowed parents to trade in gently worn outfits for larger sizes, or buy new items at 15 percent discount directly from the supplier. Used items are sold for just $1, said PTA President Evelyn Aguilar, whose son graduated from fifth grade Thursday and whose daughter just finished the second grade.

The argument that uniforms require parents to buy two sets of clothing for their children hasn't held up, Aguilar said.

"My kids play after school in their uniforms, and the clothes have held up very well," Aguilar said. "Because a lot of the shirts are unisex, my daughter can wear some of the things my son hands down to her, and that saves money."

The approval of the notice of intent did not come without some reservations. School Board President Sheila Moulton said while she's in favor of uniforms, the word "mandatory" was tough to swallow.

"Making anything mandatory has always been a struggle for me," Moulton said. "But I will support this as a continuation of the pilot study."

No parents or students spoke out against the proposed policy change Thursday, unlike past meetings, when there had been a strong show of opposition to making uniforms mandatory at the three pilot schools.

Moulton asked whether parents had been notified that the board would be discussing the pilot program. District officials assured her that the meeting's agenda had been posted and that parents had been told the final decision on the pilot study would be the board's. Because a second vote is required the public will have another opportunity to voice their opinions, said Edward Goldman, superintendent of the district's southeast region, where the pilot study is being conducted.

Board member Larry Mason was the single dissenting vote, although members Susan Brager-Wellman and Denise Brodsky also expressed concerns.

If the policy is truly to be mandatory, Brodsky said, it should include teachers and staff as well.

"We expect our students to look and behave in a certain way, and we need to be consistent in that message," Brodsky said. "I've visited some schools where the teachers did not look like professionals at all."

Brager-Wellman seconded Brodsky's remarks and asked for a staff report on the possibility of making uniforms mandatory for teachers at the pilot study schools.