School Uniforms - Milford,DE

I for one am with you. Self expression is important and I don't personally want anyone telling my kids what to wear either. My son did wear uniforms in elementary school but he hasn't had to for 3 yrs and he's much happier. To each their own I suppose.

Frankly, as a parent and an educator, I would welcome uniforms!

I work in a middle school and see so many problems with even trying to enforce our dress code.

Having the kids all wear the same thing allows the kids to concentrate more on their schooling, than on who has the "cool" brand of clothing on, or whether someone will "like" what that person is wearing today.

They are limiting your choice of polo colors to help reduce the "gang" colors... even in our community, we get kids in middle schools that are members of gangs... we have to watch for certain colors, certain insignia, certain doodling. It is amazing how prevalent it can be, even in our "safe" city.

You don't have to buy from that vendor..... be assured that you can buy it MUCH cheaper from Target or Wal-mart..... the school isn't going to care what place you order from, but they are giving you the name of a vendor that is set up to supply what could be VERY large orders since it is appears to be district-wide.

At any rate, you don't have to order from the vendor... check online places to see what kind of prices you can get.

Truthfully... your life WILL get easier when you don't have to battle over whether an item is "school appropriate".

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I think I'm in the minority as well! I love them! They make it so much easier to get the kids ready and to erase some of the pressure of having to "keep up with the Jones" so to speak. I would not buy from the uniform company. You can get uniform clothes at KMart, JCPenney, Old Navy, and Kohls for a pretty reasonable price. This uniform thing is becoming more common in Public Schools. I am not sure why, but it is.

My kids attend public school amd wear uniforms. No big deal. who cares that they have to wear khakis and a polo. Its only a couple of hours a day and then they can come home and put whatever they want on.

Just my 2 cents

I understand what you're saying, but I think you're going to find that this is a great thing that's happening! Ultimately, you are going to save a ton of money on clothes in general. You won't buy nearly as many clothes as you used to because 5 days a week your kids are wearing uniforms.

I went to Catholic schools, and yes we bitched and moaned about the uniforms, but let me tell you, it was so nice to get up in the morning and know what I could wear. It was also really nice to know that the only thing anyone could really choose were there socks and shoes. My parents might not have been able to afford as much as the other kids parents, but they could afford 2 pairs of "in" shoes for each of the kids.

I have to say, it also taught us how to dress properly. When I went to college I was shocked at the number of students who didn't know how to dress up, what was appropriate, how to dress for a job interview, etc.

Uniforms are a good thing! Also, if you have to get them from a certain vendor, all the better! Then everyone has exactly the same thing. If you can buy it from different stores, some kids might find ways to make a distinction. Stupid, I know, but some kids are just looking for ways to try and make themselves look better. Even if it is that their mom spend $2 more than another mom.

I'm probably in the minority, but I love uniforms. I'm hoping my daughter's school goes to them before she starts. I didn't have uniforms as a kid and we were poor so I didnt have all the "cool" clothes and got made fun of alot. When I got my first job it was at a movie theatre where we wore a tux every shift, and it made it easy to figure out what to wear to work. I like picking out my own clothes on my day off, but I hate having to figure out what to wear to work.

Some of our public schools here are uniform required... and I highly agree. The clothing some Moms allow their children to wear make the learning environment sexualized and harassment hostile. Takes away from learning and makes it more about sex and fashion.

I agree with having uniforms in all schools... until both parents and their children can handle the responsibility of dressing appropriately for school.

I have no problem with uniforms. I also know that your local wal mart or other local retailer is gonna want your business and be willing to fight for it from said school board's nephew and they're going to be cheaper. (Our Wal Mart has school uniforms way cheap).

I get being an individual. I get wanting your child to be independent, but they're going to a different school now. It's not like it was when we were in school. I hear all the time kids being beat up because of their clothing. This puts everyone on an even playing field.

I also wanna point out that odds are, the polo shirts and jeans that you WERE going to buy for your child to start school is WAY MORE expensive than uniforms...

Think economics and practicality. Their school uniform doesn't define who they are no more than a hair cut or a pair of shoes.

Sending good thoughts your way.

I know how you feel. We actually had our two in private schools for a while and they had the basic dress you you sound like you guys have. No particular store you needed to buy from, no school logos required, etc. It was actually pretty nice. My kids were able to be dressed for school in no time and there was never arguing over whether it was allowed and no begging for this or that clothing item when out shopping.
They also went to a private school where we were required to purchase from the Land's End catalog, and all the shirts/jackets were required to have the logo (an extra $5 charge PER ITEM logoed). I LOVE Land's End, the quality is great, but I could have bought khaki pants at Target for half the price for my son, who blew holes in the knees at that age within weeks of purchase.
I have friends who's kids public schools went to uniforms, and they didn't get much notice at all (less than a month I think) and the stores were pretty much sold out when they went to go buy their uniforms for school that fall. But now they LOVE it. It really does make the learning environment better and it does make it cheaper for clothing in the long run. And for ME, it even made doing laundry easier! LOL (Pile of khaki and grey colors, pile of black and burgundy items, done).

I go both ways on this issue.

Not being told about a meeting to discuss and vote on this? Unacceptable as far as I'm concerned. Everyone should have a chance to be heard regarding uniforms, and not being told about a meeting seems a bit underhanded to me. A friend of mine had her DD at a public school that required uniforms. After meeting with the principal and writing a letter about how uniforms went against her teaching of individuality and whatnot, her daughter was allowed to wear one or not, her choice. You could always try something like that if it really bothers you :-)

Now, I am a fan of uniforms. I see how kids judge each other because of clothing, and it makes me sad to see that some kids of families who are struggling have to endure a lot of misguided ribbing from others. Yes, I am aware that kids will always find something to tease others about, but clothing as a focus of judgment is a sore point (for me, personally).

Believe me, I can empathize. I finally figured out what a racket it was in private school, where the accepted pair of blue shorts cost $27 when I could just as easily get a good pair at Target for $7-$8. At my older son's Catholic high school it went all the way down to the SHOES they had to purchase (which were very expensive I thought).

I would talk to your principal and possibly the school board, especially with so little parent input on the decision.

Uniforms ARE great for ease of dressing in the morning.

Good luck.

I do think you should have been given more of a notice that the school was thinking about implementing a uniform policy. The school board along w/ administrators must have felt strongly that a dress code would be in the best interest of the students. Thinking about it, I tend to agree.

I'm a mom of two toddlers and I already see how parents and kids are judged by what they are wearing. Someone said, "it's keeping up with the Jones" and they are so right! I think it would be so much easier for kids to not have that pressure to get the name brand clothing. And, more affordable for the parents...whether you have the money or not for it. I'm sure you can get better deals at other department stores over the vendor and highly doubt that you would be required to only order from the vendor...that's worth fighting.

To settle your mind, why not meet with the school's principal to get some more information on how and why they came to their decision. If you want to publicly voice your opinion, attend the next school board meeting where you'll be able to do so. It would be good for you to hear their reasoning and points of view.

I would be upset if I HAD to order those pieces from only that vendor (bc I could get a better deal elsewhere - Target puts uniforms on clearance about a week or two after school starts for example) but if I could buy my own Khaki pants, polo shirts etc in those colors I would be fine with it and would actually think it made life easier. Where I used to live many of the Public schools had uniforms and it was great for the kids. No competition amongst the kids for their outfits so you can avoid the stress of the kid being singled out because she or he did not have the latest and greatest brand of shoes or jeans etc. In fact, I noticed in the poorer areas all of the schools were uniform where the more affluent neighborhoods were a mix. I always participated in our annual Secret Santa program and when the children's wish lists were provided, their clothes sizes were also provided with a note of their school colors. Actually, you have more colors to choose from than those I've worked with. Most of those I've seen were like khaki/navy pants, white/red shirt for example. A lot less colors to choose from. I think uniforms will actually save you money. Your kid needs clothes for weekend/evening but during the week you are getting away with the uniforms. Since they are all the same, you don't need as many outfits for school as you would have if they were wearing their own clothes.

My daughter goes to a public elementary school where they have a "dress code uniform". The school has polos and t-shirts with their logo printed on them for sale. Funds go back to the school's PTA. We can buy our own clothes from anywhere as long as they are solids in the school colors - navy, khaki, white, red or light blue. Personally, I hate it because not all parents comply with the colors or of the clothes being solid. If you're going to have a uniform, make everyone have to buy it from one place so they ARE uniform! The other thing that irks me is, why on earth is there a school uniform for elementary schools and not the middle and high schools? Isn't that the stage where clothes would become a "distraction"? I feel your pain. It should have been something that was brought to your attention a lot earlier.

My daughters went to a private school were the uniforms were specified. We actually couldn't have anything but Land's End, and we had to buy the exact skirt from page 49(or whichever) of the catalog. Or the pants had to be this and that and, no, Penney's skirts and pants didn't count.
My clothes bill went through the roof with 2 in the school.

There are ways to enforce a dress code. Our middle school principal brought rope to school and tied the boys' pants up, among other things. Our high school in NC kept the school at 68 year round, that way it was too cold for halter tops. If a girl wore one, she was sent to the office and her parents were called, same for Daisy Dukes, baggy pants, hats inside.

I have a hard time with the school district demanding this without any parental input. It sounds like it was done under the table so no one had a chance to argue until it was in place.

How about the other parents? Do they see this as too much? Get some parents together and have a petition or go together to the school board and ask them to repeal it or ask for revisions. Go as an organized group. Do not go in angry, but make your point clear.

I hated it when our public schools went to uniforms. And I would love to know what genius decided that it was a good idea to require WHITE shirts for elementary school kids.

You should not be so pissed and be happy you are going to have choices as far as colors. on the east side of the next town over the kids get to wear blue or black pants and white shirts. they can wear polo or tshirts tshirts are not allowed to have logos of any type. no red can be worn. nothing that has red / black as that is local gang colors. nothing promoting businesses etc. that is strict. having the choice of black, white maroon or gold is quite a lot of choices. as far as catholic school there is strict for you. plaid jumper or skirt and white blouses. boys wore blue slacks and white polo's. not sure why your so angry.

I can relate. I would have been pieved too. I don't like things being changed with my kids and not feeling like I had a say in it.

As for uniforms though, my kids go to privite school and uniforms are one of the many things I love about the school. My daughter has a HORRIBLE time trying to find clothes each morning and uniforms make it so much easier. BUT: even with uniforms kids get teased, some will have wrinkled, dirty uniforms or hand me downs and kids will tease, thats what kids do...not saying its right, but uniforms won't solve teasing, only education on social behaviour will.

Best of luck to you. And if you are really still so mad, write your school a letter and see what happens there.