What I wrote to the school board after the fact

Here’s the letter I sent this a.m. to the seven school board members who voted for school uniforms. Separately, I thanked David Fox and Mark North, who were exceptional in their opposition to this ill-conceived policy.

Members of the Board of Education Who Voted for SSA,

I am horrified at your vote in favor of school uniforms last night for
many reasons, but none more important than the fact that you ignored
existing scholarly research to do so. It’s irrelevant which principals
or administrators want standard attire; the research already says it
doesn’t improve safety or achievement. Period. Grasping at straws is
NOT a legitimate reason to violate my daughter’s, and 74,000 other
Metro students’, civil rights. If I cannot count on the school board to
understand the value of academic research, I seriously question your
ability to meet my daughter’s, and 74,000 other students’, educational
needs.

I do see that some of our principals seem desperate for measures that
will work to ensure student safety and increase achievement. Super. Why
can’t we help them find such measures, instead of implementing one
thing that’s been proven not to work? [Incidentally, since
they already had the ability to implement SSA, why haven't
they?? Weren't you the least bit curious??]

You can wish, hope and believe that school uniforms don’t violate
anyone’s civil rights, but that doesn’t make it so. You can believe
with all your heart that students won’t tease each other any more, and
that dressing up will make them take school seriously. None of the
research bears out these opinions. I’d like to speak up as a person
whose professional job depends not on my conformity, but on my
creativity and free expression, both of which were nurtured by the
public schools I attended in West Tennessee. Last night, you did an
unconscionable disservice to students of all backgrounds seeking to
become productive adults whose opinions are valued.

Finally, the verbal treatment several of you gave to magnet schools,
students and parents is reprehensible to me. I was shocked to hear
magnets referred to as "haves" and all other schools as "have nots."
Clearly some of you have not visited Metro’s magnet schools. The only
"have" possessed by many, many students in my daughter’s school is the
fact that they attend Lockeland, and I thank you for their opportunity.
Students at our school come from all economic and family educational
backgrounds. The very idea that you would class all these students
together — or consider all students at nonmagnet schools as "have
nots" — is an insult to all students and to many schools. As part of
our process in placing my daughter in kindergarten three years ago, we
visited several Metro and private schools. I did not find a Metro
elementary school I would have been sorry to send her to. Shame on you
for promoting divisions in the school system. If there are problems at
some of our nonmagnet schools — and graduation rates would suggest
there are — heaven forbid we work with those communities to provide
the unique opportunities they need, and unique solutions to their
unique challenges.

But don’t for one more minute insult my, or 74,000 students’
intelligence, by suggesting that khaki pants and polo shirts are the
solution we need.