Editorial: Board nixes uniforms for students

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 | 10 a.m.

Last week a 3-3 deadlock on the Clark County School Board effectively killed a proposal that would have given schools the freedom to establish mandatory uniform policies for their students. (For two years now five elementary schools in Henderson have had a policy that requires students to wear uniforms, as part of a pilot project to see how the policy would work.) The proposal, which was rejected, would have enabled schools to enact these policies without first getting the permission of the School Board.

Supporters of uniforms have contended that they put children from different economic backgrounds on the same level, getting rid of the inane clothing competition that can distract students from learning. Uniforms also can help foster greater discipline, their backers say, which should lead to better-behaved students. Opponents of uniforms, meanwhile, have said that there isn't a link between academic performance and uniforms and that what a student wears should be the responsibility of the parent -- not of the school. One School Board member who voted against the uniform policy, Susan Brager-Wellman, said she had "a real problem with forcing this on the entire district." School Board Vice President Larry Mason added, "This mandatory thing is just getting out of hand."

Despite opposition that suggests a uniform policy is heavy-handed and doesn't respect the wishes of parents, the proposal that was before the School Board would have required significant parental input before it could have been adopted. Surveys about a uniform policy would have first been sent to all parents, and at least half of the surveys would have to have been returned with at least 70 percent of them favoring a uniform policy. This level of consent is what currently is in place for those Henderson schools that are part of the pilot project.

The bottom line is that students are in school to learn and principals and teachers should be given all the tools they need to help their students succeed. No one is suggesting that test scores will magically rise overnight if children start wearing uniforms. More money for books, supplies and classrooms will be needed before that could happen. But, at the same time, discipline shouldn't be overlooked when considered as a factor in student achievement. It's too bad that the School Board couldn't refrain from micromanaging and give principals and teachers more leeway in setting policies that work best for their schools.