Teachers Get a Lesson in How to Dress

The plan to require teachers at some Los Angeles schools to dress formally and sign an oath that they will do so is an insult not only to these hard-working, underpaid professionals but to every taxpayer in the LAUSD area (“Teachers Protest Dress Code,” May 1). With test scores dropping, criminal behavior all too common among students, racial tension between blacks and Hispanics and class sizes actually going up, Supt. Roy Romer thinks ties and pantyhose are the solution? This is like attacking a burning building by painting the bathrooms in pastels while the structure collapses around you.

Teachers should be comfortable with their outfits so they can remain energetic and enthusiastic, and Romer and his staff should be addressing real issues like class size, teacher training, parental involvement and mental health and learning-disability issues. I fully support the teachers who refuse to follow Romer’s ridiculous directive.

Abraham Daniels

Santa Monica