Virginia Beach City School District: School Uniform Implementation

As you already know, a learning environment should provide students with very little to no distractions in order to better assist students in their learning. Unfortunately, the amount of distractions experienced by the students here at Premier Landing Elementary School has increased. There has been a steady drop in State testing results, and a surge in the district’s rate of unexcused student absences. This may be due to the increasing acts of bullying students are experiencing due to clothing choices.

Some students are not as fortunate as others when it comes to money or clothing options. The students who are less fortunate undergo bullying whether due to the look of their clothes, the brand of their clothes, and even the specific color of their clothes. If these problems continue to exist our district will continue to provide a disservice to our potential future Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, etc. According to a publication by the National Survey of School Leaders (2013), the steady growth of school uniforms or formal dress code policies in public schools may be due, in part, to students who struggle with wanting to wear the latest clothing looks in order to fit in at school. Unfortunately, many do not have the means to do so and may fall victim to peer pressure or bullying.

To better address this issue, I propose that our school district implements a uniform policy. School uniforms provide a lower clothing cost to parents. On average, parents may spend $231 per child, per year on the latest clothing trends whilst the implementation of a school uniform will lower that cost to $150 per child, per year National Survey of School Leaders (2013). I believe that with this change our students can properly benefit from the learning environment our schools initially strived to provide. Students will no longer have to worry about being bullied for the clothes they choose to wear due to uniformity amongst the students. Without the fear of this issue, student attendance rates will inflate. With inflation comes an eagerness to learn, which will ultimately result in an overall improvement in State testing. I ask that you take this proposal into serious consideration, our students future heavily depends on it.

Please feel free to contact me at earl.gillum@VBCSD.org if you have any questions in regards to this recommendation. By implementing this recommendation, you will see the many benefits associated with it. Our students will be given an environment that aids them for success.

References

National Survey of School Leaders Reveals 2013 School Uniform Trends | NAESP. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.naesp.org/national-survey-school-leaders-reveals-2013-school-uniform-trends

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