Since the Tivo option didn’t work out, I thought you [or at least 2-3 of you] would like to see what I said. This is pretty close….I just varied a word or two here and there from what I prepared. The great thing was, across all anti-SSA speakers, without any planning, we covered all the bases. So what I didn’t say here was said by others.
My name is Laura Creekmore. I’m the single mother of a 2nd grader at Lockeland Elementary and a toddler who will one day go to Rosebank or Lockeland.
I’ve lived in Nashville since 1989. When I moved here, it was hard to find anyone with something good to say about public schools. Happily, that has changed, but I think we’d all agree we see the need for continued improvement in many areas. Unfortunately, the proposed policy doesn’t address those areas.
A couple of my problems ought to be immediate dealbreakers for those of you on the board who are charged with fiscal responsibility and the authority to direct our children’s education.
1. There has already been national research on the subject of school uniforms, also known as standard attire. Dr. David Brunsma’s study – not an opinion survey, but an academic study focusing on outcomes – proves that standard dress has NO effect on student achievement or student behavior. No effect.
2. This proposed policy has already failed one legal review, and it will open Metro up to legal liability. The U.S. Supreme Court said in Tinker v. Des Moines – almost 40 years ago – that public schools cannot prohibit clothing unless it’s been proven, or is reasonably expected, to cause disruption to the educational process. Blue jeans don’t disrupt anyone’s education. T-shirts with no collars don’t stop you from reading. A drawstring or cuff on your pants doesn’t threaten anyone’s safety, or stop kids from completing their math assignments.
So what I want to know is, how are you going to make up for the fact that my daughter’s teachers and her principal will have to take away from instructional time to send students home for belts? Or spend time writing up a student who arrived with no collar on her dress, or no buttons on her polo shirt? This policy is a waste of time and it steals valuable school time from our students.
I also want to know, where have you budgeted the money to pay for the lawsuits that will come from this ill-conceived policy? They WILL come – this policy infringes on students’ rights of expression. The U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court settled that a long time ago. I saw Mrs. Warden quoted in the paper discussing the probable loss of custodians in next year’s budget. How many more are there to cut?
Maybe instead you can start with the salaries of the administrators who spent lots of time last week visiting schools to check on whether shirts were tucked in. If you think that’s the best use of their time, I know high-school students reading at elementary levels who will disagree. I know gifted and special ed kids who already aren’t being served according to their educational needs.
Drop this policy and focus on the education of our children, not their style of dress.
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