There's a veeerrrrry scarrrry post over on our sister site, centralvalleymoms.com , about Baird Middle School. This is a magnet school with a very good reputation, but apparently this year, it seems to have hired a consultant whose credentials come from a famous religious cult in Texas.
The dress code, according to the frustrated mom, not only requires uniforms, which were expected, but also regulates the length of bangs, and forbids putting your hair behind the ears, hair clips, hair spray, hair gel, highlights. Also, shoelaces must match the color of the shoes AT ALL TIMES. Clearly, these administrators don't have enough to do and work weekends as Pantene models -- they certainly don't have naturally curly, fine, thin or coarse hair with a mind of its own. Oh, and by the way, the girls are required to put their hair in ponytails for P.E. Gosh, why not make them put their hair in those little fountains on top of their heads like they had when they were toddlers?
* cue music from "Hair"*
Are there any other schools out there who have too much free time on their hands and have similar rules? Since no one from the school has posted anything defending these rules, are there any teachers or administrators who want to step forward and reassure us that they haven't been drinking the Kool-Aid? Here we sit with one of the nation's highest dropout rates, and they're discussing shoelaces? Please tell us this is a big misunderstanding, and that their brains haven't turned to applesauce.
You know, there are now two jobs in government that I want. One is to be paid to watch over comatose prison inmates. The second is to be part of the shoelace police at Baird Middle School.
Gail, the only advantage I have ever been able to come up with for school uniforms is that it puts kids on a level "playing field" when it comes to what they wear. Rich kids and poor kids all dress alike.
Other than that I hate school uniforms. It strips kids of their individuality and expression. My daughter went to school a few years ago (3rd grade) with two different colored socks. One pink, one purple. She was told not to do that again. NO MISMATCHED SOCKS! They told her she can only wear mismatched socks on Mismatched Socks Day which they do once a year.
"We baby boomers have always liked shaking things up" (re: It's Anything Can Happen 8.29). Well, baby boomers you got it. A dress code straight out of the military boot camp manuals. It is not a first for them, but it surely is for a Fresno school.
We, the silent generation (born prior to 1945) are appalled at the attire kids are
allowed to wear in school these days. But we certainly would not react with education penitentiaries. I think it is funny. If I am going to save this blog, I am going to file it under......be careful what you pray for because you may get it.
They have a tendancy to focus on small insignificant things with dress codes but usually don't enforce most of it. They focus more on the girls showing too much and different hair colors than anything else. The boys that have their pants hanging down to their knees or the ones wearing skinny jeans so tight they talk like a girl. It looks horrible. IO am quite sure that baretts or hair pins don't create a distraction from learning nor do the color of your shoelaces. I heard a girl last year got suspended for being out of dress code up north for wearing disney socks. I akm for the no piercings other than the ears because it is ugly, distracting and looks like they have been attacked by a nail gun.
I can think of two more advantages of school uniforms. No daily morning fight about what to wear to school. And, "Are you sure you want to buy that?" After an affirmative nod of the head, the brand name garment of outrageous price
is being taken home. And let one kid in school look cross-eyed at the garment that costed an arm and a leg, it is never worn again. Our daughter kosted us a king's ransom in never again worn clothing.
I would have welcomed school uniforms. But our bottomless money pit did not want to go to Catholic school.
So I give Uniforms a thumbs up. Let them be individualistic going to the mall. I never raised a boy, but how they want to wear their pants would have not set well with father in the Lawson house.
If you can't put your hair behind your ears, nor wear clips or use hair spray; how, exactly is one supposed to keep the hair out of one's face in order to function in class? I don't like school uniforms because it seems like they are always made out of Polyester or a blend; not conducive to Fresno's hot climate. Besides we all saw what a statement Brittany Spears made several years ago with her pigtails, knee socks and school uniform. Clearly demonstrating school uniforms do not necessarily eliminate sex appeal in our youth. I am more incensed that they hired a consultant to define a school uniform. How hard could it be guys?!?! Shoes, socks, underwear, shirt, pants...there you go and that was free.