Consultant: Student uniforms can promote better school climate

A school uniform policy “can drastically improve the learning climate of a school” by taking the focus of the school day “out of the hallways and placing it back in the classroom,” a consultant and former school board member said Saturday.

Matthew Buesing, a consultant with French Toast Official School Wear and a former board member in Middle Township, N.J., said schools where students wear uniforms have higher test scores and fewer discipline referrals.

Buesing said “an attractive standard of dress” promotes school spirit and unity as well as good student self-image. He told board members that uniforms contribute to school safety by “eliminating the wearing of clothing used to intimidate or to conceal contraband.”

Boards that are considering a uniform policy should involve parents from the beginning, Buesing said during the session. At the same time, they should protect students’ religious rights and rights of expression while treating uniforms as part of an overall school safety program.

Buesing said boards must decide whether the policy is mandatory or voluntary and whether it provides as much flexibility as possible. Other questions to consider: Will the district provide assistance to lower-income students? Will the policy have an opt-out clause?

In Long Beach, Calif., Buesing said, crime dropped 91 percent, suspensions declined 90 percent and possession of illegal substances fell 69 percent when the district adopted a uniform policy in conjunction with other reforms.

The Middle Township school board began looking at implementing a uniform policy when school officials and teachers became increasingly concerned about students wearing loose-fitting jeans, exposed undergarments, distracting accessories, and expensive footwear.

The board assigned Buesing and an administrator to explore options and formed a committee of teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members to plan for the policy’s implementation.

Middle Township’s policy outlines specific styles and colors of acceptable and unacceptable clothing, shoes, and accessories, giving students lots of choices.

“As you might imagine, the entire yearlong planning process involved both positive and negative reactions, especially at several public forums that the school district held on the issue,” Buesing recalled.

On the first day of school, he said, only a handful of students were sent home for violating the dress code. “As time wore on, students and their families settled into a pattern of dressing for school that is actually cost effective and eliminated all levels of social and economic distinctions.”