| Dear Senator Wentworth: Bill Clinton mandated in 1996 that all public school districts in the U.S. should implement uniforms. He based this assumption on a flawed report from the Long Beach California School District. Long Beach received federal grant monies and implemented other policy changes at the same time they implemented their uniform policy. In 1998, the University of Notre Dame published research on "The Effects of Student Uniforms on Attendance, Behavior Problems, Substance Use, and Academic Achievement" in the Journal of Educational Research. The research found there wasn't any benefit to students wearing uniforms. In fact, in some cases academic achievement was compromised. The study stated, "Instituting a uniform policy can be viewed as analogous to cleaning and brightly painting a deteriorating building..." Despite the revealing research and public protestations, school districts in Texas continue to implement MANDATORY uniform policies. The school district's argument to cut down time wasted on infractions of the previous dress code is invalid. If anything, more time is being wasted to enforce the MANDATORY uniforms than was spent enforcing the previous code. Now, children who were in compliance with the previous dress code find themselves suspended from school or transferred to In School Suspension for minor infractions of the uniform. The parents who have organized our group, Parents Against Mandatory Uniforms San Antonio, Texas ([email protected]) resent the school districts denying our children a quality education by disrupting parents' and students' time enforcing the disproven uniforms. We also resent the school districts denying our right to spend our clothing dollars on the appropriate attire of our choosing and dictating to us how our children must be dressed for learning. Where is the proof that navy or khaki pants are a better learning environment than jeans? How does having a collared shirt versus a neckband increase a child's ability to learn? This is a gross invasion of our parental rights, not to mention our FREEDOM of CHOICE. Additionally, we are concerned about the taxpayers' money being spent by other school districts around the country and in our own state to legally defend the ineffective uniforms when sued by their constituents. As in the case of the Polk County Florida school board being sued for denying an opt-out policy, they estimate the litigation to cost between $800,000 and $1 million dollars!! They've already spent $77,000. This is money that would be better spent on educating our children. The taxpayer anger over this misuse of funds will be substantial. It should be noted that the two most successful uniform policies in the nation, Long Beach, California and Miami Beach, Florida, have VERY lenient opt-out policies requiring only a parents' signature. Voluntary compliance is very successful. Why must the schools insist on MANDATORY compliance? Please help us stop this ridiculous experiment with our children's education. Sincerely, PAMUSAT |