ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 17, 1996 TAG: 9608190050
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
ADVOCATES SAY uniforms can reduce conflicts over clothing, improve self-esteem and raise academic performance.
If all students wore uniforms, seventh-grader Monte Gill said, school would be more fun - and less stressful.
Students wouldn't have to worry about being hassled for not having the latest designer fashions and sneakers, he said. And they wouldn't have to live in fear that their shoes or other clothing might be stolen.
"I'd like to wear a uniform," said Monte, a student at Ruffner Middle School in Roanoke. "People wouldn't make fun of you because of what you wear."
Monte's parents have asked the School Board to consider requiring uniforms in middle schools.
"Too much attention is being given to dress," said Donald Shepherd, Monte's stepfather. "If children don't wear certain brand-name jeans and shirts, they are made fun of. There is a lot of peer pressure on the students."
Clothes are so expensive, many parents can't afford to buy the brands that are popular with students, he said..
Latanya Shepherd said her son has begged for designer clothes and brand-name sneakers because of the peer pressure on fashions.
She believes uniforms would lead to improved academic performance. "If they were more focused on their work and less on their clothes, they would do better," she said, suggesting that
She suggested that the, she said.
Marsha Ellison, chairwoman of the School Board, said school officials would study the request for uniforms, but said it is a decision that should probably be made by parents and staff at the schools.
President Clinton has championed the benefits of school uniforms, saying they can help reduce school violence, discipline problems and gang involvement.
Earlier this year, Clinton visited a school in Long Beach, Calif., one of the first public school systems in the nation to mandate uniforms for all students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Students at the school he visited wear blue or white polo shirts, blue pants or plaid skirts.
When Long Beach first required uniforms in the 1994-95 school year, attendance and test scores improved, incidents of student fighting decreased, and suspensions declined.
The movement toward school uniforms in public schools began about five years ago, mainly in inner-city neighborhoods.
Advocates of uniforms say they help reduce discipline problems and conflicts over clothing, and make children feel better about themselves.
But skeptics say little data exist to support the claims. They say uniforms infringe on students' freedom of expression and leave school systems open to political controversy and litigation.
"People are looking for a panacea," said Loren Siegel, public education director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "It's not as if these uniforms are going to transform violent children into peaceful children."
In Virginia, uniforms are being used in a few public schools in Richmond and the Tidewater area. At Douglass Park Elementary School in Portsmouth, a voluntary uniform system has been used and reportedly has worked well.
Last year, the General Assembly enacted a law that gave school systems the authority to require students to wear uniforms.
Donald and Latanya Shepherd want Roanoke to try uniforms for a year at Ruffner and Addison middle schools to see if they will improve academic performance and reduce conflicts between students.
"If we could do it on a trial basis, we could see if it helps," Latanya Shepherd said. The couple said many parents at Ruffner share their views on uniforms, and they plan to ask the school's Parent-Teacher Association to support their request.
"If a large percentage of the parents at a school wanted uniforms, that would have a big impact," said Brian Wishneff, a board member.
To avoid legal battles, some school districts have chosen to make wearing uniforms voluntary - and to rely on parental support and staff expectations to keep the students properly dressed.
While the U.S. Supreme Court has held that schools can adopt reasonable dress-code and hair-length requirements that don't restrict political expression, it hasn't considered uniforms.
But several state courts have upheld uniform policies. An Arizona judge ruled last year that a Phoenix school's policy does not infringe on students' First Amendment rights to free expression. The judge ruled that the school is not a "public forum" where "public sentiment or opinion" is expressed. Moreover, the school had said that students who wish to express themselves politically can wear buttons.
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