Uniforms Gain Popularity at Public School

It looks like recess at a private school: Children running around the playground with matching navy blue cardigans buttoned up or tied around their waists. Red ties hanging neatly on white shirts.

But O’Melveny Elementary is a public school, one of a growing number in the San Fernando Valley to adopt an optional uniform.

A council of parents and teachers voted for the uniform policy in the fall and students began wearing the red, white and blue uniforms in January.

About six in 10 O’Melveny students wear a uniform to school and more are joining the ranks every day.

“I feel great with this uniform,” said 9-year-old Adrian Sandoval, sporting navy blue shorts with a white shirt. “It makes me feel more happy and clean.”

For about $85, parents can outfit a student with three pairs of pants, three shirts, a sweater and a tie.

Parents cite many practical reasons for uniforms, including saving money and keeping children out of gang-affiliated clothing.

But many say the heightened self-esteem in their children is the most compelling reason in support of the uniforms.

“My daughter feels more important and more proud of herself,” said Maria Aguilar of her 6-year-old.

“She takes off her uniform after school and hangs it up. She doesn’t let anybody touch it.”

Under the state Education Code, public schools cannot require that students wear uniforms, but several schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District have adopted policies encouraging students to wear them.

Nearly 80% of the students at San Fernando Elementary School wear some form of uniform.

At the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center--the first school in the Valley to adopt a uniform policy about three years ago--about 70% of the students wear them.

“I was tired of seeing my daughter cry after school because she didn’t have Guess jeans or Levi’s. I couldn’t afford it,” said Elsa Rojas, who has two daughters at Vaughn. “With a uniform, the hassles are gone.”

O’Melveny has already answered several calls from other elementary schools looking for advice on how to get a uniform policy initiated.

Dress codes and uniforms sometimes generate objections from parents who believe they inhibit freedom of expression. But at O’Melveny, after more than a year of parent education and involvement, the uniforms have unified rather than divided parents and students.

“It puts everybody on one level,” said Jabir Amaya, a parent who headed the uniform committee. “There is no difference in people who have money and those who don’t.”