Clothes Make The Student - Er, Uh, Government Control Makes The Student

Some Indian River County schools will require uniform next school year

Oslo Principal Deborah Long -

""But you don't come to school for self-expression," she added. "Let the students stand out with academics, not what they're wearing."

"Shawn O'Keefe, principal of the new middle school said the term "unified dress policy" if [sic] preferred to uniforms."

Outside of the government property of the public education system, there was this:

Saggy pants ban: Riviera Beach's ban on saggy pants ruled unconstitutional -- OrlandoSentinel.com


Here is an article that may explain what is happening to "education" within the public education system:

This is the new reality of public education for children in kindergarten through grade 12 in America. Schools are becoming the social safety net for students and their families.

US public schools routinely provide before-school programs, breakfasts, lunches, after-school care, and evening programs. They offer programs to teach children about sex and how to drive. In structured and formal ways, they try to keep children away from drugs, make sure they don’t carry weapons, instill ethical behavior, prevent sexually transmitted diseases, fight alcohol abuse, prevent student suicides, prevent gang violence, teach conflict mediation, shelter homeless children, ensure students are vaccinated, combat obesity, and provide assistance to teenage mothers and their children, among many other social services.

Student sex education and student meals have been around for more than a century. But the widespread provision of other social services by public schools is a much more recent phenomenon.

I know, I know. The parents are too lazy and uneducated enough to be parents. Not to worry. The educators can fix that. The educators will take over parenting responsibilities. Nutritional foods (check out any school lunch program), condoms, and birth control pills for 14 year olds. Money out the wasooh for social programs, but no money for pencils, papers, books, teachers and other educational items.

What I never see in these articles about school uniforms is how the site administration has adopted a uniform policy for all of the staff. Does that ever happen? Lead by example. A picture is worth a thousand words. Do as I Do.

I ain't smart, but I am a television watcher. These school administrators should share their insight and knowledge with prison administrators. The prisoners all wear uniforms, but the prison administrators just can't get a handle on those damn gangs, nor can they figure out how to make everyone equal. Gang violence in a uniformed environment? Never heard of it.

I was watching a uniformed group of kids the other day. It didn't take me very long to see that some were leaders, some were followers, some were polite, some were mouthy, and some altered their uniform just enough to be different.

This parent may also wonder how much is it going to cost in time and resources to enforce the code of the uniform; "I send my kids to school for an education," said Becky Polge. "I wonder how much instructional time (enforcement) is going to take up."

Understanding the true root of a problem goes a long way to solving it. I am not sure if uniform thinking is going to get to the root of the problem.