Pleasant Valley School Board has the proposed dropping of the dress code that requires uniforms for students on the agenda tonight.

Readers were asked via a Facebook post to weigh in on the issue.

“I think it’s a great idea. I really hope it goes through,” said Rick Pasqua.

J.E. Silf felt differently about it.

“I think the dress code is a good thing; 99% of employers require to wear some type of uniform whether it’s for safety or standards. I think it teaches young people that there’s a reason for those standards and some sort of self-pride and professionalism,” Silf said.

Superintendent James Konrad said if the policy change passes this month, then it would go into effect on April 1.

Fundraising option

The idea to change the dress code met with some questioning on the school board as well.

Vice President Laura Jecker said she would have preferred to have the change be gradual or go into effect next school year. In the days since the meeting, some parents have agreed, saying they have all of these uniforms for this year that now they won’t need.

Jecker also was concerned that the new policy will eliminate a fundraising source for school clubs.

“I know that a lot of our clubs and activities use dress-down days for fundraisers, so now that we are going to change our dress code, is that going to hurt our activities with fundraisers,” she asked.

A member of the administration told her that they are looking into ideas that will be as enticing for students as dress-down days were.

On Facebook, Kevin Dyckman mentioned the dress-down days.

“We barely have any days to wear a uniform, because it’s mostly dress-down days,” he said. “When I was in school and you didn’t wear your uniform or an appropriate color, you got sent home.”

Pleasant Valley’s move to uniforms went into effect in September 2009, shortly after other area school districts in the area began to institute them.

Reports at that time said the reason was because girls were wearing plunging necklines and tight shirts, and boys were wearing baggy pants with waistlines that dropped below their butts.

The administration at Pleasant Valley thought uniforms would instill a sense that school was for a greater purpose than fashion.

“This kind of takes the edge away from the social and onto academics,” said James Storm, who was the intermediate school principal at the time.

More bullying?

Some parents think uniforms help to reduce bullying.

Paula Gower said, “Doing away with the dress code will encourage more bullying and there is too much of that already. Also they need to stick to the dress code, enforce it. Too many ‘free days.’?”

Cassandra Schmitt sees it differently.

“It won’t encourage more bullying,” she said. “I wore uniforms when I was in school and bullying was still heavy in school, because you can tell where people get their uniforms from whether it’s Walmart, Aeropostale, Hollister, etc. All the uniforms do is put more of a financial strain on parents.”

Veronda Sestok agreed that uniforms are an added expense.

“The dress code is horrible. Not only do you have to buy uniforms for every day, every weather, gym class, but you have to buy other clothing for outside of school,” she said.

In addition to squelching undesirable fashion choices among students, school districts across the country have chosen uniforms for safety reasons.

According to the School Survey on Crime and Safety conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, uniforms were listed as one of several tools used by public schools to promote a safe environment.

During the 1999-2000 school year, 11.8% of the nation’s school districts had a required school uniform. By the 2015-2016 school year, 21.5% of the nation’s public schools had switched to school uniforms.

The school survey on crime also found that the number of schools requiring uniforms dropped to 19.5% during the 2017-2018 school year. Of those requiring school uniforms, the majority were in urban areas.

Most school districts have turned to controlling access to buildings during school hours as the greatest school safety measure. The school survey found that 95.4% of the nation’s schools control access to buildings.