Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 11:09     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think it gives the schools a bit of school spirit, and as far as I know it's not really an economic burden on anyone. I think it should be a school-by-school decision. Not sure why it would have to be a policy imposed by the top.


It's an economic burden on a fair number of people, PP. I have always felt that if DCPS is requiring students to come wearing uniforms, they should be required to pay for those uniforms, because it is a burden for families with very limited incomes.


But every Title 1 I'm aware of has a huge supply of uniforms that it can and does give to such families. Way more awkward to take more identifiable clothing donations and clothes are an economic burden in general. Also, the disparity between clothing is real. In my kid's T1 PK4, Fridays mean pristine Boden outfits on half the class and a small set of kids in obvious hand-me-downs or still in their uniforms.


Many schools have uniform closets that kids can get uniforms from, but it's not unlimited. The "support" that is available takes months to access. As a former school social worker, what I will tell you is that for families with multiple children in a school, the burden is pretty great. It may not be a big deal for you to drop $100 on uniforms for the year, but if you have 3 kids of 3 different sizes and need uniforms for all of them and you are also only making about $500/month, it really is a challenge. And that doesn't even touch the cost of keeping the uniforms clean enough to wear. I think that uniforms do solve the problem of your kid wearing pristine Boden and their friends wearing ratty hand-me-downs, but the reality is that most families need to purchase uniforms at the start of the school year, and many of them do not have the money to do so.


But the kids have to buy clothes, and the uniforms aren't actually that much more expensive than anything else. You can buy a full uniform set for $14 from brands like Cat & Jack.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:51     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Uniforms can definitely be a hardship for families. Some families will even keep their kids home from school if they don't have clean uniforms. My neighbor was principal at a small SE school, and said that they laundered uniforms there so that kids would have something to wear.

I also think it can discourage families from changing to a more desirable school, if it means they'd have to buy a whole new set of uniforms.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:47     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think it gives the schools a bit of school spirit, and as far as I know it's not really an economic burden on anyone. I think it should be a school-by-school decision. Not sure why it would have to be a policy imposed by the top.


It's an economic burden on a fair number of people, PP. I have always felt that if DCPS is requiring students to come wearing uniforms, they should be required to pay for those uniforms, because it is a burden for families with very limited incomes.


But every Title 1 I'm aware of has a huge supply of uniforms that it can and does give to such families. Way more awkward to take more identifiable clothing donations and clothes are an economic burden in general. Also, the disparity between clothing is real. In my kid's T1 PK4, Fridays mean pristine Boden outfits on half the class and a small set of kids in obvious hand-me-downs or still in their uniforms.


Many schools have uniform closets that kids can get uniforms from, but it's not unlimited. The "support" that is available takes months to access. As a former school social worker, what I will tell you is that for families with multiple children in a school, the burden is pretty great. It may not be a big deal for you to drop $100 on uniforms for the year, but if you have 3 kids of 3 different sizes and need uniforms for all of them and you are also only making about $500/month, it really is a challenge. And that doesn't even touch the cost of keeping the uniforms clean enough to wear. I think that uniforms do solve the problem of your kid wearing pristine Boden and their friends wearing ratty hand-me-downs, but the reality is that most families need to purchase uniforms at the start of the school year, and many of them do not have the money to do so.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:47     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Anonymous wrote:I disagree. I dislike the fact that for the most part WOTP doesn't have to wear them, and EOTP does.

I personally don't like uniforms; they just seem sterile and impractical in the case of our IB's white tops/navy bottoms--never made sense to me for little kids to wear white tops that get massively stained and grungy after a few months. Plus, I just don't like the idea of public schools enforcing a uniform dress code. I'd prefer either all DCPS wears them, or they all don't.


Kids from Stuart Hobson get hassled in their own neighborhood just because they're easy to identify in red shirts. It's really nobody's business where my kid goes to school, what age they are, or what their potential routes may be. I feel like it puts an unnecessary bullseye on them for potential creeps.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:45     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think it gives the schools a bit of school spirit, and as far as I know it's not really an economic burden on anyone. I think it should be a school-by-school decision. Not sure why it would have to be a policy imposed by the top.


It's an economic burden on a fair number of people, PP. I have always felt that if DCPS is requiring students to come wearing uniforms, they should be required to pay for those uniforms, because it is a burden for families with very limited incomes.


But every Title 1 I'm aware of has a huge supply of uniforms that it can and does give to such families. Way more awkward to take more identifiable clothing donations and clothes are an economic burden in general. Also, the disparity between clothing is real. In my kid's T1 PK4, Fridays mean pristine Boden outfits on half the class and a small set of kids in obvious hand-me-downs or still in their uniforms.


there's nothing special about the school uniforms. Any family that wants to wear a plain colored polo shirt and khakis would be permitted to do so. God knows there is enough to go around 1st and second hand
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:43     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Anonymous wrote:I like them. Our school has uniform free Fridays and I do notice the disparity in clothes on that day (w/ many non-UMC kids wearing uniforms anyway).


I'm no fan of school uniforms but I actually think the school spirit argument is decent one. Schools could easily encourage 'school color days' for community building, making that the exception rather than the default.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:40     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think it gives the schools a bit of school spirit, and as far as I know it's not really an economic burden on anyone. I think it should be a school-by-school decision. Not sure why it would have to be a policy imposed by the top.


It's an economic burden on a fair number of people, PP. I have always felt that if DCPS is requiring students to come wearing uniforms, they should be required to pay for those uniforms, because it is a burden for families with very limited incomes.


But every Title 1 I'm aware of has a huge supply of uniforms that it can and does give to such families. Way more awkward to take more identifiable clothing donations and clothes are an economic burden in general. Also, the disparity between clothing is real. In my kid's T1 PK4, Fridays mean pristine Boden outfits on half the class and a small set of kids in obvious hand-me-downs or still in their uniforms.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:37     Subject: Re:DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Our school poled parents last year about getting rid of the uniforms and a majority of families voted to keep them. I agree it makes things much easier in the mornings.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:34     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
I disagree. I dislike the fact that for the most part WOTP doesn't have to wear them, and EOTP does.

I personally don't like uniforms; they just seem sterile and impractical in the case of our IB's white tops/navy bottoms--never made sense to me for little kids to wear white tops that get massively stained and grungy after a few months. Plus, I just don't like the idea of public schools enforcing a uniform dress code. I'd prefer either all DCPS wears them, or they all don't.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:30     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Anonymous wrote:I think it gives the schools a bit of school spirit, and as far as I know it's not really an economic burden on anyone. I think it should be a school-by-school decision. Not sure why it would have to be a policy imposed by the top.


It's an economic burden on a fair number of people, PP. I have always felt that if DCPS is requiring students to come wearing uniforms, they should be required to pay for those uniforms, because it is a burden for families with very limited incomes.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:20     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Anonymous wrote:I think it gives the schools a bit of school spirit, and as far as I know it's not really an economic burden on anyone. I think it should be a school-by-school decision. Not sure why it would have to be a policy imposed by the top.


Agree. Schools can already get rid of uniforms if they don't want them, to hard to see why DCPS would require schools that have actively chosen to retain uniforms to eliminate them.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:20     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Whatever would the Hardy hater talk about though? [sarcasm]
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:19     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
I like them. Our school has uniform free Fridays and I do notice the disparity in clothes on that day (w/ many non-UMC kids wearing uniforms anyway).
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:17     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
I think it gives the schools a bit of school spirit, and as far as I know it's not really an economic burden on anyone. I think it should be a school-by-school decision. Not sure why it would have to be a policy imposed by the top.
Anonymous
Post 02/13/2020 10:15     Subject: DCPS considering doing away with uniforms?
Just saw this on Twitter, posted by Ward1EdCouncil

.@dcpublicschools is still considering ending uniforms for next SY across the whole system...without having any discussion w/parents. If you have an opinion, let @DCPSChancellor @DCPS_Community know.
@W3EdNet @Ward4Ed @SHAPPEDC @W6PSPO @Ward7EdCouncil @ward8edcouncil @WTUTeacher

Personally, I like them - makes our morning routines so much easier. Pros/cons? I understand cost factors but my understanding is a lot of schools (including our Title 1) organizes uniform swaps and has a pretty generously stocked uniform closet. Just interested in others’ opinions, and whether parent engagement one or another will even be considered.