Florence City Dress Code = idiocy

I guess my son will have to wear jeans because I am having a really hard time finding shorts for boys that do not have pockets on the side (i.e. cargo shorts).

I am for school uniforms state wide! This would be so much easier for the parents and the kids would not have to try to live up to those than can afford nicer things.

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I am for school uniforms state wide! This would be so much easier for the parents and the kids would not have to try to live up to those than can afford nicer things.

AHHHH, a voice of reason and common sense! Refreshing!

I can just see the walking hammers.

I'm in no way for public school uniforms. Students should be allowed to wear whatever they want. They do absolutely nothing for the student besides making parents go out and by more clothes for school and out of school. I am very thankful that I also do not have a uniform to wear at my work place. I don't have to wear a tie or suit. I wear stuff that is comfortable (jeans, khakis, nice shirt (not t-shirt)). and I have never worn my pants at my waist. I wear them at my hips. its not too comfortable and looks retarded to wear pants at your belly button. The last uniform I had to wear was a for purpose of being in a "clean room".

Well, Indopus, you can certainly tell your age by your post. You are obviously younger than most of us and probably don't have a child in school. Why does wearing pants at your NATURAL WAISTLINE look "retarded"? I know lots of younger people who wear pants at their waist and don't have a problem with it.

Nothing wrong with school uniforms. Unless you were are some place where everyone had to wear them, you would not know they were uniforms. Dark blue or khaki pants, navy or burgundy (or whatever color) shirts.... I see it all the time on people that don't go to school. I don't wear a uniform where I work either.... we can wear jeans (nice jeans, no holes, fading <intentional or not>, patches, worn spots), nice tops (any kind that does not show excessive skin <midriff-bearing>, tennis shoes... but what if one day you got a job that did require a uniform, or your present employer decided to go to uniforms?

And uniforms would not necessarily make you have to buy more clothes than you normally would for the beginning of school.

I have a friend whose son had a pair of really expensive jeans that had a small loop on the side with the designer's name on it. The loop was so small a pencil would not even fit through it. He wore them to school (local school) and was sent home because the powers that be deemed them "carpenter" jeans because of the tiny loop. My friend told them her own father had been a carpenter and her son's pants were by no means anything like the ones her father had worn for working. They would not back down. He could either cut the loop off or not wear them at all. This woman said she had lived in various states and all around the world and had never in her life seen a school board of education so screwed up when it came to the clothing issue. She also said she had never encountered as many bad drivers as she did here, but that's another topic I may go for later.

Oh to be cruel....... i say make Florence students wear blue polyester shirts with black polyester pants/skirt and white patent leather shoes..... ya know.... just for fun cause we wore it. And maybe add a white belt.

hey now, im not that young. I'm soon to have an 8 year old step son and thankfully I don't have to buy uniforms and "other" clothes since his school doesn't have a dress code. It's the florence city school system just flexing their muscles. And I think this was to try to prevent bradshaw-coffee rivalries going on at the new one school.

posted by Indopus;

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and I have never worn my pants at my waist. I wear them at my hips. its not too comfortable...

if it isn't comfortable then why the heck do you wear them that way?
don't you have a choice?

I am all for undiforms in schools....if parents don't step up and control what kids wear then the school board has too. It keeps dicipline problems down and studies in schools that has adopted a uniform policy has shown increase scores in the students. Get real parents why do we send our kids to school in the first place to get an education or to make a fashion statement.

I for one have to wear a uniform at work and being a supervisor have found that the ones I must always remind them they the shirts must be tuck in and no earrings for men are the ones that are always having to be reminded that we are there to do a job and the image of our company is being tarnished. They are also the same ones that tries to get out of work and take longer breaks and so forth. and hate to say it, its mostly the younger crowd that seems like they didn't have direction from their parents when they were growing up.

Thats my take on the situation with the school board, I think they have good intentions in trying to teach the kids respect, self-esteem and discpline while at the same time finding ways to bring the overall test scores up.

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Originally posted by (aka)PuckerupFrog:
posted by Indopus;

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and I have never worn my pants at my waist. I wear them at my hips. its not too comfortable...

if it isn't comfortable then why the heck do you wear them that way?
don't you have a choice?

yea I do have a choice and I believe I wear them at my hips because they are comfortable.

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Thats my take on the situation with the school board, I think they have good intentions in trying to teach the kids respect, self-esteem and discpline while at the same time finding ways to bring the overall test scores up.

Respect is finding out that you have control over your own appearence and that some corporation, public school, or government cannot dictate that.

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Respect is finding out that you have control over your own appearence and that some corporation, public school, or government cannot dictate that.

Ohhh, but they can.
Your youth is showing again.
"Respect" your control one day by going to work wearing dirty, grungy clothes ... or show up in nothing but your underwear and see what happens....lol.

I agree with you PuckerupFrog, if someone works for Micky Ds, there is a uniform, if they work in a hospital there is dress codes/uniforms even if you go to work in an office sitting, they may require you to wear certain type of clothers (bussiness attire as they call it) if not? they will find someone else no matter what your qualifications are.

and also that person can choose their profession and job. Hospital clothing is comfortable now... and Micky D's uniforms... and who would want to get hamburger fat and greese all over their good clothes. When I worked in a wafer fab, we had to where special suits because the clean room had to have limited dust particles or the whole thing would shut down. But, still I think you can be educated in any clothes

Back in the dark ages of the early '70's, when I was a student of Sure Feel High, the administration abused the dress code to single out agitators, communists, hippies, Democrats, dopers, jokers, freethinkers, and other unsavory types. The enforcement of it was, shall we say, subjective.

I understand there must be some code to preserve some semblence of decency, but that should be about the end of it. Let the kids be kids for a few years, adulthood will come soon enough.

DF

Decency is subjective, also, so that opens up another can of worms...

We must be close to the same age since i was at Coffee in the early 70's.
In my Junior year females were finally allowed to wear pants, but it had to be a "decent" (ughhh=polyester) pantsuit.
Before pants were allowed we had to dress like ladies.... in our mini-skirts up to our
wa-hoos...LOL.

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and also that person can choose their profession and job. Hospital clothing is comfortable now... and Micky D's uniforms...

But do many people choose their job or profession based on what clothes they'll be wearing?
The respect you previously mentioned comes in when they respect their chosen profession/job enough to follow whatever dress guidelines are put forth by their employer.

There are more important things in life than arguing over what kind of shirt or pants you are wearing. If you let your clothes speak for your personality (or on how you judge others), then that is your problem.

Uniforms may limit your child's freedom of speech, but instead of focusing on something that really doesn't matter, (teach them how to express themselves in English writing, or by drawing a painting, or by playing an instrument, or by elaborating on WWI) focus on something more important. Who cares what clothing your child is wearing? If you want your daughter wearing those shirts that show the mid-drift and low cut shirts, and guys wearing pants that drag the ground, let them express themselves at the mall.

Heaven forbid you teach your child that they CAN'T do whatever they want when they want.

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Originally posted by rosie for president:
I guess my son will have to wear jeans because I am having a really hard time finding shorts for boys that do not have pockets on the side (i.e. cargo shorts).

Ok. Forgive my ignorance but, what is wrong with cargo pants???

My sister teaches in the NYC school system and she spends so much time enforcing goofy rules that she has little time left to teach.

Telling a student how to dress only removes the symptom, not the problem. If people dress in a way that shows no self respect or self esteem, we need to teach them to have these things. If kids value what someone wears more than they value the person wearing it, they need better values…

Teach the values and the dress will follow.

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There are more important things in life than arguing over what kind of shirt or pants you are wearing. If you let your clothes speak for your personality (or on how you judge others), then that is your problem.

Uniforms may limit your child's freedom of speech, but instead of focusing on something that really doesn't matter, (teach them how to express themselves in English writing, or by drawing a painting, or by playing an instrument, or by elaborating on WWI) focus on something more important. Who cares what clothing your child is wearing? If you want your daughter wearing those shirts that show the mid-drift and low cut shirts, and guys wearing pants that drag the ground, let them express themselves at the mall.

Heaven forbid you teach your child that they CAN'T do whatever they want when they want.

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Telling a student how to dress only removes the symptom, not the problem. If people dress in a way that shows no self respect or self esteem, we need to teach them to have these things. If kids value what someone wears more than they value the person wearing it, they need better values…

Teach the values and the dress will follow.

Both very good posts!

oh, what about this... lets only allow girls to wear robes and full head scarfs.

let me get this right, back in the day UNA or (Florence State) had a dress code, right? When I was at Auburn there was no such thing. There was a group of people who went around barefoot... always even in the middle of winter.

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Originally posted by LayZeeDayze:
Well, Indopus, you can certainly tell your age by your post. You are obviously younger than most of us and probably don't have a child in school. Why does wearing pants at your NATURAL WAISTLINE look "retarded"? I know lots of younger people who wear pants at their waist and don't have a problem with it.

Nothing wrong with school uniforms. Unless you were are some place where everyone had to wear them, you would not know they were uniforms. Dark blue or khaki pants, navy or burgundy (or whatever color) shirts.... I see it all the time on people that don't go to school. I don't wear a uniform where I work either.... we can wear jeans (nice jeans, no holes, fading <intentional or not>, patches, worn spots), nice tops (any kind that does not show excessive skin <midriff-bearing>, tennis shoes... but what if one day you got a job that did require a uniform, or your present employer decided to go to uniforms?

And uniforms would not necessarily make you have to buy more clothes than you normally would for the beginning of school.

There is the difference. My children want to wear what is in for the season. Pants at the waist is definatly not "in" anymore - I do not even wear pants at the waist. I would definately have to purchase clothes for school and clothes for home if my children went to a city school where dress code was inforced. In fact until this year, my children did go to Forest Hills and I have a major issue with the dress code. Its another case of the school wanting children to NOT BE CHILDREN. Kids want to express their style, individuality and be comfortable. In the second grade at Forest Hills my 7 year old daughter was told she had to change shirts because she didnt have sleeves in her shirt. It was decent, clean and absolutely nothing wrong with the clothes. I have them both at Brooks now. Kids are kids, not little adults......they dont want to wear granny pants and a polo shirt.........they are going to school - not the office.

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Originally posted by LayZeeDayze:
This dress code the city schools has is getting the best of me! I can see making the kids wear pants that actually fit them (don't drag the floor, crotch hang down to their knees, actually hit them at the waistline and not below), and no shirts advertising any type of alcoholic beverage, musicians/groups, or religious symbols, but what is wrong with a shirt with a large butterfly or flower on the front? What is it with the students having to wear the shirts tucked in? I think the teachers should have to have a dress code.... and it be the same as the students.

I have spoken to a couple of teachers I know and they are hating the dress code also. I was told that a lot of the local teachers are more worried about how the students are dressed than about the students' grades.

I think it's time the School Board did some re-vamping. I was told that we parents have all the power and to make ourselves heard. I have signed a total of 5 petitions about the dress code, but as far as I know none of them were ever heard/introduced to the school board.

I can't believe I missed this thread. I so feel your pain. I shopped for two friggin' full days for my son's school clothes - ALL because of the dress code.

You know, it would almost be easier if the dress code was reduced to chinos and solid colored golf shirts. But because the dress code is this in between thing, shopping is a nightmare! I finally opted for pants in the next size up and a good belt.

I also had to find clothes that met with Dad's standards (has decided son is to cease looking like he just rolled out of bed...haha) without making my son look like a dork. I'm going on vacation next year on No-Tax Weekend and making hubby do the shopping.

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(teach them how to express themselves in English writing, or by drawing a painting, or by playing an instrument, or by elaborating on WWI)

What does this have to do with dress? My kids are both on honor roll, are involved or have been in football, soccer, dance, piano, choir etc. Very intelligent. So why would anyone tell them how to dress? If my daughter is wearing something suggestive then I can see me correcting her for her own well being or if my son wears something that is disrespectful. But WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A DRESS CODE?????? I dont get it. Dress has nothing to do with intelligence or how you spend your time and brain power.............

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Originally posted by SO TIRED OF IGNORANCE:
What does this have to do with dress? My kids are both on honor roll, are involved or have been in football, soccer, dance, piano, choir etc. Very intelligent. So why would anyone tell them how to dress? If my daughter is wearing something suggestive then I can see me correcting her for her own well being or if my son wears something that is disrespectful. But WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A DRESS CODE?????? I dont get it. Dress has nothing to do with intelligence or how you spend your time and brain power.............

Obviously, if you are going to have to have a dress code, it means everyone has to follow it, not just your darling children. The purpose of my post was to say they can express themselves in other ways at school other than dress. But, I assumed others could figure it out. And, there have been studies that show the better you dress for school, the more attention you pay to school. I'm not saying these studies are 100% accurate, but there is a correlation between dress student achievement.

Honestly, as an educator, I'd rather not have to deal with dress codes either, but until students come dressed like they have some parents, dress codes will be necessary.

Why is it that all parents want to do is fight the schools when most of the decisions that are made are honestly trying to improve schools? It is almost if parents are trying to purposefully stifle progression in schools. It usually makes me a sad educator. And no, I'm not just talking about dress codes - all this week has been nothing but complaining about schools. No one is perfect, and especially not teachers, but I guarantee you 95% of the teachers out there have student's best interests in mind when making decisions.

Just remember - educators don't mind asking questions and explaining actions. What educators mind is the belittling and constant condescending actions of parents. Work together for your child's future, not against.

You know...my 16 year old daughter attends a local public high school. Threre are alot of rules in place at this school that I think are either stupid or redundant.

However-they aren't hurting her. What's wrong with letting her know that sometimes you have to follow rules that either shouldn't apply to you (due to your taste in clothes??) or that you feel are a waste of your time.

What am I teaching my daughter about respect for those in a position above her if I flip out over something as stupid as what she wears to school the next day. It's just a set of clothes, for crying out loud.

Obeying a rule isn't going to affect her ability to lead a normal life. ( and if it is, then that just proves that she would be one of those people who spent their entire life in mourning because they didn't go to their prom.

It isn't like they are demanding that the kids wear Hitler youth uniforms.

I agree that not being able to wear a shirt with a butterfly on it or a 7 year old not being able to wear a sleeveless shirt is a little odd, but if they make an exception for one child, they have to make an exception for all of them and we all know there are total idiots out there who think it is more important to dress well than it is to make sure that Jr. gets an education and will argue the point till death.

If uniforms are the only answer (as it well may be, given the atmosphere in forums and in the school admin offices) why not let the kids VOTE on a color/garment combo and then reward good behavior and good grades with "free dress day" (within code)?

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Respect is finding out that you have control over your own appearence and that some corporation, public school, or government cannot dictate that.

Your "right" to dress however you want ends at my right to not be offended by what you wear.

REally, it sounds like you are fairly reasonable in your dress. The problem at out city' schools is that parents were dressing 5th grade girls like little Brittany Spears prostitots. Guys were degenerating farther and father into "ganstah" outfits and wearing pants AROUND THEIR KNEES! (Jesus!) Offensive tee-shirts were getting more and more bold. We stupid parents just stood by and shook our heads.

The Board of Education HAD to step in and do something. They wanted standard uniforms but we parents said "no" so we ended up with the convoluted compromise we have now.

This coming April, the BoE plans to take up the matter of school uniforms again. The public will be invited to comment. Meetings will be held and changes will be made.

Those of you who want this to change should consider attending these meetings.

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But WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A DRESS CODE?????? I dont get it. Dress has nothing to do with intelligence or how you spend your time and brain power.............

You're right, the way you dress has nothing to do with brain power....BUT, other than the very good points made by GoFish, there is the fact that some kids are bullys and love to make fun of the ones that don't wear the most popular brands, styles, etc.
Kids (yes, even your own little darlings) can be very mean and snobbish when it comes to clothing.
And nowadays you never know when the one being picked on is going to decide to get even by pulling out a gun. It has happened in other places where they never thought it would happen.
A dress code is a step to try and eliminate that. True, the code they now have is a bit silly when it comes to a lot of things, but the reasons behind it are good.

I graduated from a Lauderdale County school, and I don't ever remember my clothes ever becoming a distraction. I never remember them becoming a problem for anyone at anytime. Let the kids wear what they want as long as it isn't offensive. Its part of growing up and becoming an individual. Just give them a break and lay off them. They are kids...we shouldn't try to put them in a cookie cutter mold that makes them all the same. Everyone out in the real world is different...shouldn't we be preparing them for the real world? We've always worn normal clothes at school, and we've always turned out ok. There should be rules as to what is appropriate and what is not, but not some silly, strict dorky looking uniform.

I think that the real distraction to learning comes when you stick these rigid and practically unfollowable rules on what can be worn, and then try to enforce them to the letter. I think that then we have a real issue with clothing becoming a deterrent to the actual learning process.

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Originally posted by OriginalBama:
Oh to be cruel....... i say make Florence students wear blue polyester shirts with black polyester pants/skirt and white patent leather shoes..... ya know.... just for fun cause we wore it. And maybe add a white belt.

Who sent you my high school picture?

(BTW - that was when the Florence City Schools scrapped the dress codes because the various principals were enforcing it arbitrarily and inconsistently. Guess it's easier to be consistent when there's only one high school and one middle school!)

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Originally posted by GoFish:

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Respect is finding out that you have control over your own appearence and that some corporation, public school, or government cannot dictate that.

Your "right" to dress however you want ends at my right to not be offended by what you wear.

REally, it sounds like you are fairly reasonable in your dress. The problem at out city' schools is that parents were dressing 5th grade girls like little Brittany Spears prostitots. Guys were degenerating farther and father into "ganstah" outfits and wearing pants AROUND THEIR KNEES! (Jesus!) Offensive tee-shirts were getting more and more bold. We stupid parents just stood by and shook our heads.

The Board of Education HAD to step in and do something. They wanted standard uniforms but we parents said "no" so we ended up with the convoluted compromise we have now.

This coming April, the BoE plans to take up the matter of school uniforms again. The public will be invited to comment. Meetings will be held and changes will be made.

Those of you who want this to change should consider attending these meetings.

I agree!

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Let the kids wear what they want as long as it isn't offensive

Offensive by whose standards???

what was Coffee's masqot and school colors? I can't remember. I remember that Bradshaw was the Bruins and I think they were gold and black?

so kids at florence city schools can't even where Auburn or Bama shirts??? on iron bowl week!!

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Originally posted by (aka)PuckerupFrog:

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Let the kids wear what they want as long as it isn't offensive

Offensive by whose standards???

And there you have the reason we have dress codes. If there are no clearly defined rules for dress, the standards are all over the board. Things that offend me may not offend others and what offends others may not offend me.

Coffee was black and gold , the Yellow Jackets.
Bradshaw Bruins were brown and orange.

And i find football shirts offensive...lol.
(not everyone cares about sports)