Reviewing discipline guidelines from OSSE - not sure you can send kids home for uniform violations -

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just think Petula's article could focus more on the law around how to make this a seamless experience for these children, and where that's not happening. The child ending up in the principal's office to get sent home means a lot of stop checks along the way failed. That's what she should be looking at instead of getting all breathless.

I am presuming that once we have these 8 family shelters in DC there will be someone who checks the kids going out the door to see that they are prepared and meet school requirements? I hope that's where some of the massive amount of dollars this initiative will cost will go.

No way will door checks for uniforms by a city worker happen.

My understanding is we are doing these fully staffed intimate settings so that the children thrive. So this should be part of the duties.

Anonymous wrote:I just think Petula's article could focus more on the law around how to make this a seamless experience for these children, and where that's not happening. The child ending up in the principal's office to get sent home means a lot of stop checks along the way failed. That's what she should be looking at instead of getting all breathless.

I am presuming that once we have these 8 family shelters in DC there will be someone who checks the kids going out the door to see that they are prepared and meet school requirements? I hope that's where some of the massive amount of dollars this initiative will cost will go.

No way will door checks for uniforms by a city worker happen.

I just think Petula's article could focus more on the law around how to make this a seamless experience for these children, and where that's not happening. The child ending up in the principal's office to get sent home means a lot of stop checks along the way failed. That's what she should be looking at instead of getting all breathless.

I am presuming that once we have these 8 family shelters in DC there will be someone who checks the kids going out the door to see that they are prepared and meet school requirements? I hope that's where some of the massive amount of dollars this initiative will cost will go.

And for the purpose above, every charter is a school district.

This role is filled by a member of the administrative team at our (no uniform) charter school and periodic outreach is done by her to all families making people aware of her role (probably in case of new cases) in addition work with homeless families directly.

No idea if each LEA gets funding to assist with this work. That would dilute the money quickly for overhead not uniforms for kids.

Donate to these:

https://www.facebook.com/ClothetheKidsCapHillUniformDrive

http://www.playtimeproject.org/

Supposedly (According to Dvorak) this act provides for 2 full uniforms a year . If you read the fine print, the Act also provides for 950,000 a year in funding and a homeless liason. Rather than bashing the schools, I would ask what role the liason is playing here in smoothing this. Yes, it's ridiculous to send a homeless child home for a sock violation--but at some point in the year they should have an wear those socks. Otherwise, you are holding them to a lesser standard than the other children. Terrible message to them.

http://www.k12.wa.us/HomelessEd/AssistanceAct.aspx

Washington’s Role
The McKinney-Vento Act provides grant funding to states and, in return, states are bound by the terms of the act. Washington receives approximately $950,000 in funding each year from the U.S. Department of Education to support the education of homeless students in school programs. This is the only money specifically designated for serving the educational needs of homeless students in Washington. OSPI, as the state educational agency, designates a statewide Education of Homeless Children and Youth Coordinator to review policies and create procedures, including dispute resolution procedures, to ensure that homeless children and youth are able to attend school.

School District Responsibilities
Local school districts must designate a homeless liaison to ensure that homeless children and youth are identified and served. The liaison must provide public notice to homeless families (in the community and at school), and facilitate access to school services including transportation. School districts are also required to track their homeless students and report that data annually to OSPI.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Thats your solution? These children are way better off in the same uniform as everyone else, than fighting the status wars of clothing. This is a problem for schools with uniforms to work out with the right entities. They should enforce their uniform codes in a reasonable way (otherwise they're pointless). However there should be some relief available for homeless and high poverty students. There are a hundred mechanisms to do this. There are many ways to do this short of getting lawyers involved, including donating, pta funds, uniform exchanges, or someone mentioned a mechanism through social workers that needs to be speeded up. If you are at a school with uniforms ask how children in the immediate future are being taken care of. And then start working to longer term solutions. That involves effort.

Many of DC Schools with uniforms are title 1 schools - some upwards of 60%. You need Old Navy / the Children's Place to sponsor a school for year and provide 3 bottoms and 5 tops for a child. You also need a uniform coordinator who collects and redistributes when items are grown out of.

It would be lovely if private businesses took on our travails, however I fail to see how they have any obligation. It would be lovely pr for then - not sure how providing complete school wardrobes would affect their bottom line though. You (the proverbial you) could organize a donation mill, like dress for success, that turned around uniforms and other tidy school clothing. However, in the interim title 1 students have title 1 $. Use some of that, or tap into other funding that streams from DC tax dollars to the less fortunate. What did Petula say about social workers being the coordinator for individual students uniforms? If that mechanism isn't working, reform it. Why don't we start with the simplest solution, especially if there is an existing one that is supposed to be working but failing kids, rather than spinning out?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What schools require lands end ???? Christ. We've had two kids in 4 DC public schools and all have required uniforms, none have been so specific.

Latin. Vendors are Lands End and another uniform store in Georgetown.

A fairly cheap uniform store in Georgetown. Our child went to Latin - we bought 2-3 shirts from the cheap store, cheap khakis from old navy. Done. We also donated outgrown clothes to the many yearly uniform exchanges which appeared to have a massive overflow.

Friendship charter schools also "require" the logo embroidered shirts, which are $12 each. I put "require" in quotes because while this "requirement" is on the school's literature, other parents told me that a non-embroidered shirt (which Wal Mart sells for less than $5) was ok and since school started, I have noticed many kids (including my own) in plain shirts.

My $.02: the embroidered shirts are an unnecessary expense for families. A simple uniform of commonly available clothes is fine, but the schools need to have a large selection of free uniform compliant clothes for kids in need.

Punishing kids for this is ridiculous.

I wonder if this is the same charter they kids from Prince George's attend while using a friends address.

Anonymous wrote:For those who badmputh Petula, she is the one who brought much needed attention to the plight of homeless children at DC General, and kept the drumbeat going on Relisha Rudd. You have no heart. Go back to reading the Wall Street Journal if you don't care about DC's poor children -- 1 in 3 here live in poverty.
My kids go to Title I uniform school. I admit I like the uniforms, but I think it is absolutely nuts to have children buy from one high end retailer and require $500 worth per student. But I think many charters are part of an industry. There have got to be some synergies there...

It isn't just charters that do that - see Stuart Hobson's policy mentioned above (also embroidered shirts).

For those who badmputh Petula, she is the one who brought much needed attention to the plight of homeless children at DC General, and kept the drumbeat going on Relisha Rudd. You have no heart. Go back to reading the Wall Street Journal if you don't care about DC's poor children -- 1 in 3 here live in poverty.
My kids go to Title I uniform school. I admit I like the uniforms, but I think it is absolutely nuts to have children buy from one high end retailer and require $500 worth per student. But I think many charters are part of an industry. There have got to be some synergies there...

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Thats your solution? These children are way better off in the same uniform as everyone else, than fighting the status wars of clothing. This is a problem for schools with uniforms to work out with the right entities. They should enforce their uniform codes in a reasonable way (otherwise they're pointless). However there should be some relief available for homeless and high poverty students. There are a hundred mechanisms to do this. There are many ways to do this short of getting lawyers involved, including donating, pta funds, uniform exchanges, or someone mentioned a mechanism through social workers that needs to be speeded up. If you are at a school with uniforms ask how children in the immediate future are being taken care of. And then start working to longer term solutions. That involves effort.

Many of DC Schools with uniforms are title 1 schools - some upwards of 60%. You need Old Navy / the Children's Place to sponsor a school for year and provide 3 bottoms and 5 tops for a child. You also need a uniform coordinator who collects and redistributes when items are grown out of.

Anonymous wrote:Not the pp but the article made me raise an eyebrow . I dont think its an endemic problem and I do think its something schools would be willing to resolve on a case by case basis. Did petula talk to them and they said no?

Did you read 9:55's comments on page 1?

Schools have trouble keeping up with demand in the 'uniform closet' and the family Dvorak featured had a children sent home from school due to sock color or because they showed up in a non-uniform shirts. If those schools had been willing or able to resolve it on a case by case basis those kids issues would have been handled quietly and discreetly.

Anonymous wrote:What schools require lands end ???? Christ. We've had two kids in 4 DC public schools and all have required uniforms, none have been so specific.

Latin. Vendors are Lands End and another uniform store in Georgetown.