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Some want to opt out of uniform requirement
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| By: Mark J. Crawford, Editor |
October 23, 2009 |
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A small group of parents once again disagreed about the uniform requirement at Bradford Middle School during the Oct. 12 school board meeting.
Michelle Vendenheim said she had the right to make decisions about the care, custody and control of her children.
"I have the right to determine what is in the best interests of my children," she said, including directing their moral and spiritual training.
She said not only are her fundamental parental rights being limited; the uniform requirement is negatively impacting her child's education.
She said she is trying to teach her child about diversity, tolerance and acceptance, and just as he is learning to respect others' choices, his own choices should be respected.
"I believe the uniform policy teaches blind obedience. By refusing to allow him to make choices about clothing that is appropriate, you are restricting his ability to make these moral choices," Vendenheim said.
As a special needs student, she said he is being denied "inclusionary opportunities in the least restrictive environment" because of his choice of school attire.
"He is being denied these services because I am teaching him to think for himself, to self-advocate and to stand as an individual," she said, adding that she is also teaching him that children have rights, too.
Vendenheim said the school board is forcing a political ideology on her family. Still, she did not ask that the uniform requirement be abandoned-just that families be given the ability to opt out. Doing so would show respect for her rights as a parent and her child's individuality and ability to make moral choices, she said.
Another parent joined the call for an opt-out policy.
Tammy Holland-Barber used visual aids to make her point in the form of two "Wolverine" T-shirts she purchased for two of her sons, one who is in middle school and one who is not. Though in middle school and required to wear a uniform to school, her older boy still wanted one of the cartoon T-shirts, which put her in the position of saying no and only purchasing what was allowed to be worn to school, or buying both.
Having to buy two sets of clothing for middle-schoolers undercuts the argument that the school uniform policy saves parents money, she said.
"I'm telling you that it does not save me money, it's restricting my child's desires, his freedoms, and it does not sit well with me as a parent," Holland-Barber said.
She said she understands there are parents who support the uniforms, but she asked the board to consider an opt-out policy for those who do not.
Her husband, Michael Barber, also spoke to the school board, questioning the motives behind the uniform policy. He said when the policy was approved, the assistant superintendent's reasons for backing the policy included reduced discipline problems, peer pressure and socio-economic tension, as well as improvement in academic performance.
When he talked to school board members individually about why the uniform pilot program was being extended, he said these were not the answers he was given. Barber said one board member commented on modern clothing styles being out of control, another reported that teachers said the uniforms had made a difference. One said there had been no complaints about the policy, and another that it's "just best for the kids." One board member even remarked they had been made fun of for their attire in school.
While one set of reasons could be backed up or refuted by measurable data, the school board members' responses could not, Barber said.
"These excuses or reasons are a shift of focus, and that's what happens a lot of times when we don't have the data; we change the target or shift the focus from what the goal originally was," he said.
He asked the board to do away with the uniform requirement or publish the data that supports the original reasons for requiring uniforms at the middle school.
Barber said some parents believe in the "magic" of uniforms, but even under a relaxed policy, those that like the uniforms could still choose to have their children wear them.
Esther Kelly spoke in favor of uniforms and said they had solved the problem of her son wanting to wear brand-name clothing to fit in. Uniforms keep the focus on education, she said, focus her son lost when he moved to the high school.
"Our goal is to educate our students, not to dress them," she said, adding that the pressure can be taken off of kids at that age to fit in so they can better concentrate on learning.
The uniform can help direct students in the proper direction, Kelly said.
Jeannie Baker said the problem is that parents are letting their children "run the household."
She said there are more important issues in the lives of the children than what they are wearing.
"I'm really happy about the uniforms. I don't see a problem," Baker said, adding she would like to see the uniform requirement expanded to all of the county's public schools. Some of the clothing worn is inappropriate, and kids need to be taught to dress for success, she said.
"I don't think it's appropriate for people to say, 'Well, my child doesn't like this.' Well, you know, who's the boss in your house?" she asked. Parents who say that should visit the other schools and see what they look like, "because it doesn't look good," she said.
In 2008, the school board a approved a one-year uniform pilot program at the middle school, which was expanded a few months ago to include the current school year as well. The superintendent had suggested that enforcing a dress code would be sufficient to accomplish the district's goals, but the school board wanted more time to evaluate the program.
There has been no indication as of yet whether or not the district will continue to require uniforms at the middle school in future years or if the requirement will expand to other schools.
The middle school is generally thought of as a special case, however, because students are at an important stage of transition and because discipline has been an issue at the school in the past.
Grim outlook continues for school funding
Finance Director Julee Tinsler presented the Bradford County School Board with a letter from the Florida Department of Education in which Commissioner of Education Eric Smith discussed the state's long-range financial outlook over the next three fiscal years, 2011-2013.
The information presented was adopted last month by the Legislative Budget Commission.
"Based on currently approved revenue sources and historical legislative budgeting practices, the outlook projects annual deficits of 11.8 percent for FY 2010-11, 22.8 percent for FY 2011-2012, and 20.2 percent for FY 2012-2013," wrote Smith.
Since the Legislature is bound by the Florida Constitution to adopt a balanced budget, the state will either have to reduce future expenditures, enhance future revenues, or do some combination of the two, Smith informed the district.
"While it is not clear how the Legislature may address this situation, a prudent response at the school district level includes maintaining a healthy unreserved fund balance and avoiding decisions that create future operating costs in excess of the current level of funding," Smith wrote.
The forecasts are provided to assist planning and budgeting at the local level.
Four schools in science research program
Four of the county's elementary schools have been accepted in to the Discovery Science pilot program, according to Assistant Superintendent Lisa Prevatt. It is a research program evaluating methods of teaching science.
The chosen schools could be part of a control group that continues to utilize their existing curriculum, or they may be part of the experimental group utilizing the Discovery Science Web site and teaching resources.
Data collected through pre- and post-testing will measure the effectiveness of the program. Evaluations begin next month.
Fifth-grade teachers at Starke Elementary School, Lawtey Community School, Hampton Elementary School and Brooker Elementary School will also be allowed to continue using the Discovery curriculum for the remainder of the school year free of charge, Prevatt said.
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©Bradford County Telegraph 2010
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