ACLU, Parents Challenge Uniform Dress Code

By: Amanda Cochran
Topics: Elementary School ,; High School ,; College ,; Middle School

(Credit: CBS)

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Kids often rail against uniforms because they mean style limitations. But why would parents fight a uniform dress code?

According to American Civil Liberties Union complaint on behalf of four Woonsocket, R.I., parents, uniforms would be an added financial burden for families.

Additionally, the ACLU says the uniforms won't do anything to improve the quality of education at kids' schools.

The policy -- due to be implemented next month -- requires public school students to wear black or khaki pants, maroon or gray pants and closed-toe shoes. The only writing allowed on shirts is the school logo.

The ACLU filed the complaint with the state on Wednesday and has asked Rhode Island's education commissioner to block the city from imposing the dress code. No date has been set for a hearing.

School Superintendent Robert Gerardi says many other school districts around the country have dress codes. He says many parents in Woonsocket have embraced the change.

Read More: All About Back-to-School

Back-to-school shopping is a difficult time for parents. What would you do if you learned your child needed a uniform wardrobe for school a month before classes began? Is this an unfair constraint placed on parents at this school?

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by rfink6 August 25, 2010 4:13 PM EDT: I?m and writing in regards to the great in justice you are doing to our Children?s futures. I thought the ACLU stood for American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU would defend the civil liberties of all people?including those who were weak, unpopular, and despised?without respect to their views. Now the ACLU has taken a turn, we are now teaching our children YES judge a book by its cover for your inner person does not reflect your individuality and will not show us if you are a great leader good person or a mislead soul. We must put dressing on our outer casing to show the world who we are and with this we must be judged.

When the ACLU take a stand against a betterment to the learning over our children by informing them that wearing a uniform is against your civil liberty rights it needs to take in the following: If you are a person who works as a trash collector stop wearing your uniform, if you work at McDonalds stop wearing your uniform, If you are a lawyer or a Doctor in a Hospital start wearing Ripped jeans and expressive clothing to show your clients and patients that these are your greatest credentials.

Our Children need to learn had to get ready for a tough world. The economy is in a world win still. We need to teach our children how to put their best foot forward. We the United States had been a world leader in everything and our children highly educated now the dropout rate increasing, drug use, depression, suicide and I?m just address the children here the adults are another thing.
In reference to a little bit of statistics read the following article. Student Dress Policies. ERIC Digest, Number 117 Long Beach Superintendent Carl A. Cohn reported that during the first year suspensions decreased by 32 percent, school crime by 36 percent, fighting by 51 percent, and vandalism by 18 percent (Cohn). At Whittier Elementary, attendance rates have risen each year since the policy went into effect, reaching a high of 96 percent (Caruso).

Ask a teen or adult in our surrounding towns (N. Smithfield, Cumberland, Franklin, and Wrentham) would you like to live in Woonsocket? There answer usually NO. Ask them why? It?s run down, they have gangs, they have a lot of poverty, and it?s really scare. Start with the uniforms as you drive through Woonsocket in between 7:30 am ? 9:00am you see classy eager to learn young students. To see our children not weak or ashamed of where they come from. It is like giving your house a new coat of paint before summer it is not just so it will look good but it is to preserve it to take care of it. Am I saying to you parents you are not taking care of your children by put that new coat of paint. Well Yes, you might be there for them financial, physically and maybe even emotionally. But you are not doing them any justice; we need our children to be ready for the big world and to not think oh if I don?t like it I will just always fight it. We need to consider the benefits to all not just be small minded.

Lastly, we have now taken the liberty of making our children who are attending there 1st high school year already nervous and very apprehensive as we can all remember for that first day. Ok, ACLU says we don?t have to wear the complying school clothing improvement. Well all we could afford this month is what we bought to comply now what do I wear. If I wear the uniform and no one else does I will be laughed at and ridiculed can I find any clothes that are acceptable for the other kids to see me in how will they judge me, will I fit in. I guess we didn?t think of how this will hurt those students. Break a child?s spirit and well we have seen the rest over and over again in ever high school principals office and police station across the United States remember the columbine case, they were out casted. Rember the young girl in North Hampden just a little over a year ago her spirit broken. We need to step forward and start making changes for our children. We never thought to talk back to our parent our disrespect them. Most of our parents taught us to respect not only them but most importantly our selves.

Lets Remember the breakfast club, All different backgrounds, Social and financial they were given one link to each other detention in this case a uniform and this opened up door to acceptance and friendships that might not ever have happened because of that outer casing. We all need to try something new and give it a chance before taking it down.; Reply to this comment


by rockerMom19 August 22, 2010 12:31 PM EDT: The schools here say they need uniforms for safety reasons. I think it is not a viable argument since anyone can buy a school uniform. I also think their argument that it is "more conducive" to learning is ridiculus. My two older sons attended school in the Seattle area for two years. They loved it and felt comfortable. My oldest son grew his hair past his shoulders and went to school with kids who had facial piercings and blue mohawks. They loved school then. Then we moved back to the south. The first thing they told my son when we re-enrolled him in school was that he had to cut his hair and wear a uniform. He dropped out of school at 16, he hated it so much. They have changed the rules in our district so when the parents vote for uniforms at school they only need a simple majority where it used to be a 2/3 vote to allow uniforms. They also changed it so once one group of parents approve uniforms it is forever instead of voting every four years as they used to. I think it is turning our kids into automatons. When my youngest son wore a uniform he was wearing two sets of clothes per day. He would get home and change into his "street clothes". Now that he has been in high school he finally has no uniforms. It has been great for both of us. Unfortunately the parents will again vote at the end of this year and if it passes he will have to wear uniforms his senior year. I will vote NO.; Reply to this comment


by lmnocean August 20, 2010 7:14 PM EDT: School uniforms should save you money and just make it overall easier. Especially because they aren't asking for special made uniforms. They are all easily purchased. I grew up in Australia where we had uniforms at public school and I would say it just makes it easier overall. I don't really get the ACLUs complaint.; Reply to this comment