Does the term dress for success mean anything anymore? The current lawsuit filed by the Cheyenne Sioux tribe against the public school in Eagle Butte, South Dakota is another attempt by lawyers to waste taxpayers’ money on an issue that has proven successful in other districts. According Carol Moran, whose daughter attends the school, she and, “other parents have joined the tribe in a federal lawsuit seeking to block the school district from enforcing the dress code, which requires students to wear black, white or tan shirts, pants, skirts or shorts”.
The school district insists that the school has a gang problem and many of the students wear gang colors to school, “daily”. Many educators may think of a gang as something they see on TV or in the movies but according to the School Safety and Security Services a youth gang can be considered young adults who:
• interact frequently
• are frequently and deliberately involved in illegal activities
• share a common collective identity
• and typically adopt certain methods of identification and/or claim control over certain areas
I would assume that the teachers and administrators at Eagle Butte have seen these behaviors for some time and decided to take action. They didn’t do it overnight. They sent letters home explaining the new dress code and published the rules in the local paper over the summer explaining the reasoning behind it. The district, which has failed to meet the standards from No Child Left Behind has stated, “we hope that an increase in safety will increase our academics for all students." Can you blame them for trying something new?
An example that this policy does work is Long Beach, California. Since 1994 the school has kept records and the stats have shown that school crime has dropped 76%, while attendance has reached an all time high.
Other positive things that uniforms bring to the table stated on a public school parent website are:
1. Eliminates opportunities for the ridicule of less popular or less fortunate students based on attire.
2. Decreases theft and violence
3. Help students resist peer pressure
4. Help officials recognize intruders
I have visited Eagle Butte and have been in their high school within the last year. The town of Eagle Butte is poor and when I was there the atmosphere just seemed depressing. For those of you not familiar with the reservation in SD it is very similar to the ghetto in a large city. There are buildings that need fixing, a swimming pool with no water, basketball courts with no nets, and individuals just hanging out. The school is nice but run down in areas such as maintenance and grounds. It was summer when I visited so no students were there but I did meet some staff members that were very positive and hardworking. It must be somewhat disappointing to see youth gangs and violence increasing in your district and not being able to do much to curve it. That is why they passed a school dress code policy. They needed to act quickly and take stand in the one place students should feel safe…the school. Good for them.
I understand the cost of new uniforms will be difficult for some families but I am sure if there is a way to tie it to NCLB and success rate maybe a discount can be offered. I also understand the claim of civil liberties and freedom of expression should be allowed in a public schools and it can be, at sporting events, school clubs, and dances. I would ask any parent in Eagle Butte if they have a better idea of stopping the gangs in the schools then they should step forward and speak up.
Why restructure? Does it really do anything?
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Restructuring Under NCLB Found Not to Really Do Much
This week's final post comes in under the NCLB act. As you know from
previous posts, I am very pessimi...
15 years ago
Hi Kyren,
ReplyDeleteBeing able to visit the actual school in which you're blogging about really puts everything into perspective for you. What a great opportunity to be able to talk to staff members and to get their point of view about this touchy subject.
If I had a say in the matter and actually was able to vote about whether or not to enforce school uniforms, I would vote yes. If this school is in constant gang territory than uniforms is just a start to help these kids out. If the school is in such disrepair and so desolate, why not start with school uniforms? The students can have their say, but in the end they are minors and maybe it takes a simple move like this to rekindle spirits in what seems a lonely and depressing school. If cost is an issue, than the school needs to come up with a plan to help low-income families. Will it do more harm or more good to enforce school uniforms? I definitely don't think it could do any more harm than what that school has gone through already.
Denise
Thanks Denise. I helped a friend unload school supplies in Eagle Butte and the faculty and staff need help. This is just a small step.
ReplyDeleteHi Kyren! Dress codes must be the topic of the week. I just responded to another blog about dress codes and to be completely honest I commented on that blog that I don't believe dress codes help that much but then I read your blog and I can say that I have changed my perspective a little. I don't think uniforms will prevent students from knowing who has money and who doesn't because students are well aware of where their peers live, what they drive or the stores where they get their clothes and shoes from. You did make some good valid points to change my perspective though. I could see how it would eliminate stealing problems and I never thought about that before. I also liked the point you made about uniforms helping to identify school intruders. Keeping our schools safe from intruders has become very important and having uniforms could help with this. I can see why schools have switched to uniforms to eliminate gang behaviors. Just to play devil's advocate, do you think gangs will find other ways to show "their colors" if school uniforms are enforced?
ReplyDeleteKyren,
ReplyDeleteIt really does sound like you should have a dress code enforced in that area. One thing is for sure, gangs and their clothing are becoming more and more prevalent everywhere. Some businesses even here in little ol' Hanford, CA don't allow customers with sports shirts, caps, or anything remotely recognized as gang apparel. It's definitely that way at schools. The water parks here also enforce these policies. Gangs are everywhere these days. People have lost their faith and don't attend churches to find their community belonging. Gangs seem to get to kids first, whether by having members born into them, or other means. If we don't take a stand, I do believe gangs will soon become our next governmental system, which isn't all that far fetched. There are more and more gang members who encourage education. They know knowledge is power and they want a member representing every aspect of our society in order to control their communities.
I know uniforms aren't perfect. My memory recalls a conversation with a fellow classmate at VCSU who grew up in Minneapolis. He said the uniforms they had to wear drew just about as much social discrimination as you might think. He said everyone knew the difference between top name brands and thrift store purchases. They also do not end all crime or discrimination. Uniforms are a step in the right direction for certain school districts, however.
Thanks for the blog topic. Have a great week.
Randy B.