I would be pissed if a new principal came to our school and announced this change in JULY. This should be something with at least 9-12 months notice imo.
AFAIK there are no non-charter public schools that require uniforms around here. LAUSD might, but it's such a big district that it's probably not universal. The charter schools I know that require uniforms require specific plaids that you have to purchase from the uniform store so I'm sure they don't have a socio-economic reason for them.
I do think they would increase laundry, but it's nice not having to figure out what they'd wear each day. I also agree that it doesn't help the have/have not disparity. People would still buy nicer quality/fancier brands for their uniform and their shoes/accessories.
The charter Waldorf school near us doesn't have uniforms, but they have a strict dress code that bans sport teams, characters, logos, etc.
From a PTA fundraising perspective, I would love uniforms. Kids (and parents!) are motivated by free dress days and they’re a really easy reward for fundraising (and basically everything else), especially in a district with almost no free/reduced lunch.
As I enter my first year as pta president this was my thought. We don’t have uniforms but I wore uniforms k-12. When we meet to discuss fundraising incentives I’m always like I wish we wore uniforms so we could give out the free prize of no uniform day.
I don't think I would have less clothes if my kid had uniforms. Now I would need clothes for each day plus clothes to wear on the weekends and for after school stuff. I think this would double our clothing purchases? I mean my kid can't wear the same clothes each day because he is gross and filthy. They would at least need to be washed before they are reworn, which can be hard for folks that may not have easy access to a washer dryer.
OR am I missing something about how this results in less clothes?
Most mom friends at DS’s school have the same rule we do. No changing out of the uniform after school unless you need to change for an activity. If DS has swimming, he doesn’t change until he gets into his suit. If he has karate, he doesn’t remove his school uniform until he changes into his karate uniform. When he had soccer which was held on the school field, he was required to wear his school gym uniform. All school sports require the school gym uniform during practice.
It’s rare that DS has a reason to change our of his school uniform and into regular clothes on a school day.
We own far fewer clothes now that DS wears a uniform.
I imagine losing a polo or pair of uniform pants to play wouldn't financially devastate you, and you have sufficient tops/bottoms to launder them this way. That's simply not the case for everyone.
I’m ambivalent about uniforms. I wore them, my kids don’t. I’d be fine with them, I’m fine with not having them.
I will say when I went away to college I found I needed a lot more clothes. My wardrobe was small because most of the time I wore a uniform.
Oh and the schools around here with uniforms also have strict rules about shoes and bags so you can’t keep up with the Joneses there. The shoes required are fugly as hell though.
I don't really have an opinion but I found myself nodding along with lots of responses here (mostly the anti-uniform ones).
I do think the principal made a big mistake introducing this less than 2 months before school starts. Dumb move. Should have gotten a feel for the school and the parents for one year first before introducing a major change like that.
public schools here do not have uniforms. I generally associate them with either expensive private schools or low income schools in struggling school districts.
Post by statlerwaldorf on Jul 16, 2019 16:01:17 GMT -5
I liked uniforms, but it was more expensive. She still needed clothes for the weekends and I wasn’t able to find uniform clothes at thrift stores. It might be cheaper for people who usually buy more expensive clothes, but for people who shop at thrift stores and clearance racks it can be more expensive. Hopefully a higher income level school would have a better clothes closet. I live in a very poor area and the supply doesn’t come close to meeting the demand.
DD1 was bullied for her clothes and it added a lot of stress for her. She really wanted to have Shopkins clothes like her friends, but once that fad was quickly over they made fun of her for still wearing them. The uniforms also made the morning easier because she wasn’t changing her mind about what she wanted to wear. She prefers not to wear uniforms since she likes more comfortable clothes.
And there are "sensory issues" thrown in for those who deal with them (seams and fabric vs. reduction of visual stimulation).
This is a legitimate concern and not at all entitled. The principal should reach out to the school occupational therapist to come up with a workable solution that meets the needs of all kids.
And there are "sensory issues" thrown in for those who deal with them (seams and fabric vs. reduction of visual stimulation).
This is a legitimate concern and not at all entitled. The principal should reach out to the school occupational therapist to come up with a workable solution that meets the needs of all kids.
It’s possible he/she did. As a former teacher and current mom of a kid with sensory needs, I find the white or navy shirt and khaki bottoms very easy to work with. Could do a compression shirt, tagless shirt, loose fitting shirt, short sleeves, long sleeves, tight pants, loose pants, etc all easily found within those guidelines/requirements.
I am all for anything that reduces the amount of decisions I have to make on a daily basis for me and the 2 kids. So yes to uniforms. I had uniforms for Catholic school through 8th grade. It was cool to complain about them but secretly I was really happy we had had them. Everyone wore the same exact clothes made by Flynn and O'Hara in Pennsylvania and no one had to know that otherwise my parents shopped at Sears. It was really hard for me to transition to public school in 9th grade and know what to wear so I matched and looked cool (I failed on both fronts so I just stuck to studying.)
But I don't think our public school system has this.
Most mom friends at DS’s school have the same rule we do. No changing out of the uniform after school unless you need to change for an activity. If DS has swimming, he doesn’t change until he gets into his suit. If he has karate, he doesn’t remove his school uniform until he changes into his karate uniform. When he had soccer which was held on the school field, he was required to wear his school gym uniform. All school sports require the school gym uniform during practice.
It’s rare that DS has a reason to change our of his school uniform and into regular clothes on a school day.
We own far fewer clothes now that DS wears a uniform.
I imagine losing a polo or pair of uniform pants to play wouldn't financially devastate you, and you have sufficient tops/bottoms to launder them this way. That's simply not the case for everyone.
We weren't exactly rolling in dough, plus had coin-op laundry, and we still operated this way during the school year.
I imagine losing a polo or pair of uniform pants to play wouldn't financially devastate you, and you have sufficient tops/bottoms to launder them this way. That's simply not the case for everyone.
We weren't exactly rolling in dough, plus had coin-op laundry, and we still operated this way during the school year.
Then you must have been comfortable with that risk?
And there are "sensory issues" thrown in for those who deal with them (seams and fabric vs. reduction of visual stimulation).
This is a legitimate concern and not at all entitled. The principal should reach out to the school occupational therapist to come up with a workable solution that meets the needs of all kids.
For those with a polo/kakki pant type uniform, The Children’s Place has a pretty good line of sensory sensitive products. They have a soft cotton jersey polo that is tagless. They are not as durable as the regular line, they fade quicker and shrink a bit over time. But they are very comfortable for my sensory kid. They also have a line of elastic wasted pants in Kakki, black and navy. They have buttons and pockets and look a lot like the regular chinos so kids don’t get teased for wearing “Baby pants.”
This is a legitimate concern and not at all entitled. The principal should reach out to the school occupational therapist to come up with a workable solution that meets the needs of all kids.
It’s possible he/she did. As a former teacher and current mom of a kid with sensory needs, I find the white or navy shirt and khaki bottoms very easy to work with. Could do a compression shirt, tagless shirt, loose fitting shirt, short sleeves, long sleeves, tight pants, loose pants, etc all easily found within those guidelines/requirements.
Yes, had the requirement just been any top in a specific color than yes the options mentioned above could work. OP stated that the uniform specifically requires a polo shirt which can be difficult for sensory defensive kids.
We weren't exactly rolling in dough, plus had coin-op laundry, and we still operated this way during the school year.
Then you must have been comfortable with that risk?
I’m not following you. If a kid ruins a pair of pants, isn’t it a loss whether it’s uniform pants or some other pants? And I’m saying this as a mom who just bought brand new $3.99 polo shirts at The Children’s Place sale last week. I’m not trying to be all “let them eat cake’ about it. I just mean it’s possible to get uniform pieces as cheap as thrift store clothes, so either way, the loss is the same.
In some cases, it’s more economical. If my daughter ruins a polo, she has 3 more just like it to wear with her grey skirt. If my daughter didn’t wear a uniform and ruined a shirt, it might be the only one that matches her favorite skirt. Now all of a sudden I have to buy a new shirt to match her skirt or consider the skirt obsolete, as well as the ruined shirt.
Post by Dumbledork on Jul 16, 2019 17:29:39 GMT -5
My kid changes as soon as she gets home because her uniform top is very specific, can only be bought in one place, and cost $20 a piece.
She also prefers to have a sweater on most days. School policy is that it also has to be a specific sweater from a specific place. $45.
She’s a persnickety kid with an odd size so finding bottoms that are the right size, comfortable and fit school policy is difficult. I don’t like to risk her ruining pants that took me forever to find.
She goes to a charter school.
Those who don’t/are unable to follow the guidelines can eventually earn themselves a suspension. Why? Why put more obstacles between kids and their education? Who does it help?
And let me tell you, my kid still comes in, after wearing uniforms for two years, and says “mom, can you come help me pick out my clothes?” When it’s literally the same polo and varied khaki bottoms.
It’s possible he/she did. As a former teacher and current mom of a kid with sensory needs, I find the white or navy shirt and khaki bottoms very easy to work with. Could do a compression shirt, tagless shirt, loose fitting shirt, short sleeves, long sleeves, tight pants, loose pants, etc all easily found within those guidelines/requirements.
Yes, had the requirement just been any top in a specific color than yes the options mentioned above could work. OP stated that the uniform specifically requires a polo shirt which can be difficult for sensory defensive kids.
I missed that it had to be a polo. Yes I agree that it should just be any too.
From a PTA fundraising perspective, I would love uniforms. Kids (and parents!) are motivated by free dress days and they’re a really easy reward for fundraising (and basically everything else), especially in a district with almost no free/reduced lunch.
As I enter my first year as pta president this was my thought. We don’t have uniforms but I wore uniforms k-12. When we meet to discuss fundraising incentives I’m always like I wish we wore uniforms so we could give out the free prize of no uniform day.
So I also am heavily involved in PTO fundraising, and I see this fundraiser as kind of crappy. :\
It calls attention to the kids who's parents either can't or didn't give money, and denies those kids of the "treat" of not wearing the uniform.
It's hard to balance equity and fundraising (I get it, truly, my kids attend a Title I school), but I really dislike fundraisers where some kids get something publicly and others don't. Like, a lot. Parent donations should be kept separate from "rewards" for students.
I'm a hard no on uniforms as well, and would be pretty pissed if a new principal came in in JULY and announced them for the fall, for most of the reasons stated above: equity, laundry, appropriateness for the weather, one more thing to discipline kids for, etc.
Uniforms are only a thing here for private/charter schools. They would just raise my clothing costs, I buy most all their stuff used for $2 or so and neither kid would leave a polo on when they got home. I can’t blame them, I hate polos and will not wear them. I can’t stand the tight stomach area and fabric. My daughter also rips through pants like no one (16 pairs last winter) and having to replace those with nicer pants would have cost a lot. Growing up I had a lot of friends in uniforms, and they all just compared their shoes instead.
While I’m not for uniforms, I don’t see myself putting up a huge stink about it if they switched.
Because at least with my girls, they won't want to repeat the same jeans for a week and tops for at least two weeks for school. But at home, they'll lounge around in the same darn outfit after school for weeks on end if I'd let them get away with it. Uniforms mean that I only have to wash two pairs of pants and two tops (or however many I buy) and the repetitively worn after-school clothes. It's not so much the laundry as the angst around it. And my fault for buying so...much...stuff. lol.
Co-signed
You can re-wear uniforms for the week as no one would know but they won't re-wear the same pants and shirts so it is different outfits everyday.
I need your kids. The dirt on my children after one recess at school is awful. They can’t rewear anything due to it being way too dirty.
Then you must have been comfortable with that risk?
I’m not following you. If a kid ruins a pair of pants, isn’t it a loss whether it’s uniform pants or some other pants? And I’m saying this as a mom who just bought brand new $3.99 polo shirts at The Children’s Place sale last week. I’m not trying to be all “let them eat cake’ about it. I just mean it’s possible to get uniform pieces as cheap as thrift store clothes, so either way, the loss is the same.
In some cases, it’s more economical. If my daughter ruins a polo, she has 3 more just like it to wear with her grey skirt. If my daughter didn’t wear a uniform and ruined a shirt, it might be the only one that matches her favorite skirt. Now all of a sudden I have to buy a new shirt to match her skirt or consider the skirt obsolete, as well as the ruined shirt.
In this case, it's a loss that prevents their ability to attend PUBLIC school.
We don't have a Children's Place locally- and we are talking about people who don't have the ability to order online (because they don't have credit cards, don't have shipping addresses). I'm not exaggerating when I say that a large percentage of our students only have uniforms because they were donated. These families are struggling.
DS starts Kdg in less than a month and will be going to a school with a uniform policy. The policy is very simple and basic and I am completely on board, at this point. I’ve spent less than $100 (not including shoes) and it’s making me think twice about most of the non-uniform clothes I’ve considered purchasing, so far saving us money. Again, it’s a very basic policy. He needs to wear navy blue shorts or pants and they can be sweat pants as long as they meet 2 basic requirements. Polos need to be blue or white, short or long sleeve. That’s pretty much it. I’m looking forward to not having the morning getting dressed battles!
As I enter my first year as pta president this was my thought. We don’t have uniforms but I wore uniforms k-12. When we meet to discuss fundraising incentives I’m always like I wish we wore uniforms so we could give out the free prize of no uniform day.
So I also am heavily involved in PTO fundraising, and I see this fundraiser as kind of crappy. :\
It calls attention to the kids who's parents either can't or didn't give money, and denies those kids of the "treat" of not wearing the uniform.
It's hard to balance equity and fundraising (I get it, truly, my kids attend a Title I school), but I really dislike fundraisers where some kids get something publicly and others don't. Like, a lot. Parent donations should be kept separate from "rewards" for students.
I'm a hard no on uniforms as well, and would be pretty pissed if a new principal came in in JULY and announced them for the fall, for most of the reasons stated above: equity, laundry, appropriateness for the weather, one more thing to discipline kids for, etc.
Oh I get that completely. Our school is 50% free lunch and 50% high income. We do everything possible to not distinguish between the haves and have nots when it comes to our direct give campaign. Rather we give prizes based on participation- everyone in the class made a donation of any amount (we get lots of pennies) or does an activity to promote awareness of the fundraiser and raffle- every donation received gives classes tickets towards drawings for prizes.
If I had a free dress day option, it would be for a full class, never individual students. But we spend a lot of time getting prizes for 30+ students donated and a gimme like a free dress day would be great.
As I enter my first year as pta president this was my thought. We don’t have uniforms but I wore uniforms k-12. When we meet to discuss fundraising incentives I’m always like I wish we wore uniforms so we could give out the free prize of no uniform day.
So I also am heavily involved in PTO fundraising, and I see this fundraiser as kind of crappy. :\
It calls attention to the kids who's parents either can't or didn't give money, and denies those kids of the "treat" of not wearing the uniform.
It's hard to balance equity and fundraising (I get it, truly, my kids attend a Title I school), but I really dislike fundraisers where some kids get something publicly and others don't. Like, a lot. Parent donations should be kept separate from "rewards" for students.
I'm a hard no on uniforms as well, and would be pretty pissed if a new principal came in in JULY and announced them for the fall, for most of the reasons stated above: equity, laundry, appropriateness for the weather, one more thing to discipline kids for, etc.
I see your point. This was always a popular one at my schools growing up but it was also one of the first tiers of “prize” used for things like our walkathon. And it would basically be given if you showed up and participated (there was no baseline money requirement to participate). I personally push more for class prizes (extra recess) because I don’t love the individual ones in general and I feel like handing out cheap prizes gets old as a parent (I don’t want more junk). Out of uniform could also be done as a class prize or grade level prize too, it doesn’t have to be individual.
In general I hate fundraisers and wish we didn’t have to do them but alas, school funding is complete shit so we do our best to make sure the school has extra help for their vast needs. I push for us to advocate for more funding which would help all schools in our area but I also live in TN where that is apparently very offensive to some. 🙄
I guess we need to ask- is it just to impose uniforms on the entirety of a public school's population, simply because some fairly privileged moms believe it makes their mornings easier? Fairly privileged moms already have plenty of choices that give them uniforms- tons of publicly funded charters and private schools, here- we can even cross district lines and "choice" into a neighboring district's school. Sure, you have to provide transportation- but, that's something fairly privileged moms can more often manage than the families of our most vulnerable students.
And hey- nobody was stopping me from sending DS in polos and shorts before the uniform policy was enacted here!
Post by SusanBAnthony on Jul 16, 2019 19:25:46 GMT -5
My kids go to public with no uniforms.they already wear whatever the hell the want every morning, whether it matches or not, so I don't see how it would save me time or effort.
It seems like more effort to get the right clothes, and more washing. You'd still need a full week of regular clothes for school break, plus now you need a full week of uniforms.
I hate wearing polo shirts and khakis so I'm opposed from a comfort perspective. It is also hell finding pants that fit my kid, and the only ones that work are track pants or skinny jeans.
Do they expect shirts tucked? If not, seems like they'll all look sloppy, so why bother requiring collars and khakis? (I realize not all schools require this). Lol for days that my kids will tuck in their shirts.
I guess I don't care strongly either way but I'd be pretty annoyed for various reasons.