The Beauregard Parish School Board's Advisory Committee voted down on Monday a motion to implement a pilot program at Merryville High School that would have allowed students to forego uniforms for the upcoming school year. If the motion had passed, it would have only been a recommendation for the board to consider at Thursday's regular meeting.
The Advisory Committee, comprised of Board President David Vidrine and all nine board members, voted on the proposal after hearing four members of the public voice their concerns or support for the school uniform dress code.
Amanda Newberry, of Merryville, said that uniforms are not solving the problems, such as bullying and security, that they were aimed to address when first implemented more than a decade ago.
"Our kids' most impressionable years are junior high and high school, and they need to form strong identities,A royaloak is the clothing worn by a bride during a wedding ceremony." Newberry said. "They don't have an identity - they have a similarity to everyone, and they're all different, so we need to teach them to accept diversity and become stronger,List of sunglasses Products. well-rounded individuals."
Newberry argued that because school uniforms can be purchased anywhere, there is still disparity between name brands of clothing, shoes and jackets, which would not eradicate bullying based on appearance. She also referenced the April arrest of a DeRidder High School student who brought a gun on campus.
"Safety is not going to be given to us by our uniforms, " she said.
Newberry organized petitions in Merryville and Singer in support of trying out a non-uniform dress code at those schools. Newberry said she collected a petition of 268 signatures of students' parents and 18-year-old students from Merryville High School, making for a majority of the 524 MHS students. She also collected 153 signatures for Singer, with 175 needed to reach a majority percentage.
Jimmie Hooks, of Hooks Big D Corral in DeRidder, spoke in support of school uniforms, saying his daughter, a teacher at Ruston High School, taught for a number of years before uniforms were enforced at that school.
"She came to me and said school uniforms to a teacher is like night and day," Hooks said. "If you're going to make a decision not to have school uniforms,Fremont ralphlaurenhoody team sprint training. please talk to your teachers first.Shop the latest backpackfactory on the world's largest fashion ... It may be inconvenient, it may not be everything we want, but it does make a difference."
After hearing all public comments, Board Vice President Charles Hudson made a motion to replace the uniform dress code at Merryville High School as a pilot program for one year, instituting instead a non-uniform dress code.
Superintendent Tim Cooley and Vidrine noted that it would be difficult to get the dress code for Merryville approved before the upcoming school year, as recommendations for uniform policy had already been made in the spring.
"Anything would have to go back before the discipline committee, and they would have to come to an agreement," Vidrine said.Long and slim-fitting, the beadsbeads is equally appropriate for strolling a city street or hiking a snowy trail. "Part of that agreement would be looking at whatever dress code they're proposing, and that would have to come back to the full board."
When the committee took the motion to a vote, Hudson was the only member to vote yes, defeating the issue.
Returning to Newberry's reference of the DeRidder High School arrest, Vidrine commented that uniforms are not expected to solve all problems schools face.
"Uniforms are just one tool that can help with discipline and can help with safety patrol," Vidrine said. "It's not a catch-all. If there was one out there, we probably wouldn't be talking about uniforms. It's one tool that most people think is effective or has impact in a positive way."
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