Uniforms at Beach Elementary (a public school in Portland, OR)

Someone slipped a piece of paper into the suggestion box at my son's elementary school that said something like: We should have uniforms. (I didn't see the note, I was told at a PTA meeting that we were discussng it because of this suggestion)

There was no indication on the piece of paper that there was a problem that needed to be solved such as students wearing inappropriate clothing, bullying each other about clothing, or fighting about them. And, in fact, when I asked the question directly at a PTA meeting, no one had an answer about what the problem was that we were trying to solve with uniforms. Because of this piece of paper, we are spending time discussing the instigation of uniforms at our public school in NE Portland. This, to me, is crazy.

So, I started researching how uniforms work in public schools. Everything that I have found that has any statistical/empirical evidence rejects the idea that uniforms improve attendance rates, decrease behavioral problems, decrease drug use, or improve academic achievement. Check this and this and this and this and this.

But, then again, the suggestion was put in the box with no problem(s) to solve. So, perhaps we don't need to research this at all. If that's true, then why even consider uniforms in this public school?

One parent at the PTA meeting said: We don't need to agree on what the problems are. I know what I think the problems are. And at least we can all vote on it.

She did not share what she thought the problems were. That doesn't seem very fair . . . shouldn't I have the benefit of knowing what the problems are in her opinion? Then I could actually weigh in on the argument. This adds to my feeling of frustration with this discussion. We have to have the facts in order to discuss something, form opinions and vote on it. If we have no facts and it's just "Let's have uniforms" then why not "Let's have the school day go from noon to six?" No reason, just let's do it - come on, we can all vote on it . . .

When I asked the principal if we had an issue with violence or gangs or drugs at the school, she said: Not really. (I have asked for actual numbers and hope to get them soon. When I have them, I'll post them here)

I realize that I sound a bit snarky about this. I feel very frustrated and angry that it is happening at my son's school. When we lotteried into this school we agreed to be there K-8 for the Dual Immersion language program (he is now in 1st grade). We did that because the school is very diverse (which is somewhat unusual in Portland) and my son is learning Spanish alongside Spanish speaking students that are learning English. I believe comfort with diversity and Spanish language proficiency are important to my son as he becomes an adult in a more and more global world. And, unfortunately, I can't keep him there in good conscience if the message he receives every day is that we must conform, we must be the same, we must hide our uniqueness, the "Man" is in charge. That's not why we came here in the first place.

So, I'm going to every possible meeting and voicing my opinion. I'm hoping we can stop this discussion and start moving on to something more beneficial to our kids. And, if we can't, I hope we can find a public school in Portland that will be right for the kind of person that I want to raise: someone who respects difference, embraces ambiguity, has inter-cultural competency, and loves himself for who he is - and others for who they are.