Indian River School District officials could mandate a uniformed dress code in district schools by next school year. Parents of district students will receive a survey early next month that asks for input, and results from the survey will be used to help determine whether or not to implement the code, according to district press release.
A district committee has been discussing the prospect of such a policy since late last year. Dr. Donald Hattier, the committee’s chairman and a school board member, said a dress code could help improve student focus and behavior.
“I think it basically improves discipline in schools,” Hattier said about uniforms an earlier interview. “They’ll be able to concentrate on school itself. You’re not there for fashion; you’re there to learn.”
The initial school uniform proposal called for pants, blue or khaki colored, with a logo-less collared shirt, and is similar to dress codes already implemented at Southern Delaware School of the Arts and in the Woodbridge School District.
In Woodbridge, shorts and skirts are acceptable as long as they adhere to a length requirement, and sweatshirts must be hood-less and accompanied by a turtleneck or collared shirt underneath.
Students interviewed by the Coastal Point last month expressed a contrast in opinion: some argued that mandating a uniformed code would strip students of creative expression while others agreed with officials that it would “level the playing field” while providing a savings for parents.
“I feel it doesn’t let me express myself. When I go to school, I want to express myself through my clothes,” said Nick Hensler, a 15-year-old Indian River High School freshman. “If I have to wear a uniform, it makes me feel as if I’m the same as everyone else.”
“I’d be for it in a sense that it would save parents money,” added Zoe Jurusik, another freshman and friend of Hensler. “But I don’t think kids would be for it because they like to wear what they want to wear.”
Despite the potential unpopularity of a dress code, district officials will likely pursue one if, in the upcoming survey, most Indian River parents share Catherine Peterson’s opinion.
Peterson, a mother of two Indian River School District children — one child in SDSA and the other at Lord Baltimore Elementary — said last month that she already knows of the savings a school uniform policy can provide. Her 11-year-old son’s SDSA uniforms save time in the morning because they do not have to pick out clothes, and they save money because he does not need dozens of different, up-to-date outfits for school.
“I am in big favor of uniforms,” Peterson said in an earlier interview. “They’re wonderful. Every parent I’ve had a conversation with has been in favor of it.”