School Drops Student Uniform Plan

With only lukewarm support from parents, Balboa Middle School leaders decided Tuesday to drop the idea of requiring their 1,231 students to wear uniforms, opting instead to more vigorously enforce the campus’ existing dress code.

Members of the school-site committee, composed of parents and teachers, made the decision after receiving the results of a survey on uniforms and dress code sent out to parents early in January.

Of the 38% of households that sent back responses, half supported the idea of requiring uniforms, while 36% disagreed and 14% remained neutral.

For the proposal to have passed, said Principal Helena Torrez-Reaves, “I would have liked to see a 75% or 100% response, with 75% supporting [school uniforms].”

Two years ago, Supt. Joseph Spirito spearheaded an effort to require school uniforms but abandoned the plan after a crush of opposition from parents.

Balboa Middle School resurrected the issue in October at the urging of PTA members, who said uniforms might boost academic performance and end the school’s struggle to enforce a dress code.

The issue spurred fierce debate from both sides. Some argued that uniforms are not a priority in the community and eliminate a student’s freedom to express his or her individuality. Others said uniforms are needed to create safe schools and reduce discipline problems.

With the proposal now dead, school officials are back to dealing with how best to enforce the school’s dress code. Several hundred students have been sent to the office since the beginning of the year for short shorts, tops that reveal bare midriffs or baggy pants that don’t stay put around the waistline.

Comments from the survey seemed to indicate that parents strongly support the idea of enforcing the dress code to eliminate discipline problems and create an environment for learning, school officials said.

While Rio Plaza elementary school and Rio del Valle middle school in Oxnard began enforcing their new uniform policy in the fall, Fillmore Junior High School administrators opted to stick with a stricter dress code, rather than uniforms.

Based on a survey received from 82% of students’ households, a majority supported the idea, but it fell short of the two-thirds support that school leaders sought.

Fillmore High School administrators are waiting for 75% of their surveys to be returned before making a decision on a uniform policy. If the school does adopt such a policy, it would become the first district in the county to require uniforms at the high school level.

While the state allows public schools to institute a uniform policy, it also mandates that school districts must allow students to opt out of uniforms. As a result, a number of school administrators, including Fillmore Unified School District Supt. Mario Contini, say they want to ensure there is solid support for uniforms before a policy is started.

“In the beginning everyone is all into it, but then two or three get out of it and then two or three more, then enough stop wearing it that the effectiveness is [lost],” said Contini of a possible scenario.