By DON STINE
Neptune’s elementary school students are gearing up to conform with a mandatory school uniform policy that goes into effect Mon., Feb. 2 in pre-school through the fifth grades.
“Everything is going according to plan and we are very excited about this,” said Assistant Superintendent of Schools Bertha L. Williams-Pullen
Williams-Pullen said the district is giving as much information as they can to parents with regard to the new policy and where to purchase the clothing.
“The parents I have spoken with have all had a positive response to the uniform policy and some said that they have already purchased the appropriate clothing. They also said that it is a lot cheaper than buying the $20 or $30 jeans. A lot of our parents are already prepared to send their children to school with uniforms,” she said.
Under the new dress code, khaki-colored pants, shorts, jumpers or skirts will be the only dress option with no baggy, cargo or corduroy pants.
Either short or long-sleeved golf or polo shirts will be required and they must be red, white or black with no logos or insignias. Turtlenecks may be worn underneath the shirts and cardigan sweaters are allowed but only if one of the three allowable colors.
Socks, knee-highs, stocking or tights may be worn but only in red, white, black or neutral colors. All belts must be black or brown.
Williams-Pullen said state policy requires that there may be an exemption to the uniform policy based on philosophical or religions reasons.
“There is an application that parents can fill out to exempt them from the policy. It will then be determined by the school board whether their request is granted,” she said.
Williams-Pullen also said there is a separate application for parents to request assistance in purchasing the school uniforms.
Both applications are available online at www.neptuneschools.org or can be picked up at the schools.
“We have not received any applications yet but the policy begins Monday. We are waiting to see if we get any,” she said.
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Please take a stand against mandatory school uniforms. For one thing they actually work against school order and discipline. This is because when children are not individually dressed they cannot be easily identified.
Imagine you are a teacher and you see a kid in the distance throwing rocks. If he is wearing green pants and a red shirt you can probably idnetify him. If he is dressed the same as all the other students, there is nothing you can do. You can’t identify him so you can’t report him.
This is why in some schools fewer incidents of disorder and hooliganism are reported after the schools go to mandatory uniforms. Not because they don’t occur, but because the students cannot be identified and apprehended.
The school uniform superstition is damaging in other ways. The lesson of school uniforms is this “you will be punished if you are different”. This increases bullying and intolerance. It makes the atmosphere of the school penal and punitive.
The arguments for mandatory school uniforms are the same that can be used to argue we should all go to the same church and belong to the same political party. They are based on false assumptions that are contrary to traditional American philosophy.
I have been around the world 6 1/2 times. I have detailed, first-hand knowledge of schooling in different countries and the effects of educational philosophy on the spirit and character of a nation. Please, take it from me, mandatory school uniforms are contrary to the American traditions that have made it a great nation.