A survey is being sent to out to the community this week. An online poll at www.malibutimes.com shows support for uniforms.
By Meg Boberg / Special to The Malibu Times
Malibu High School parents are behind a movement to possibly institute a uniform requirement at the school. However, some students informed of the idea are against it.
This week, a letter will be sent out to the Malibu High School parents with more detailed information about the pros and cons of school uniforms. About a week after that, parents will receive surveys to gauge the temperature of the community regarding a new mandatory uniform requirement.
As a mother of sixth- and eighth-grade students at Malibu Middle School, Jennifer Denker started the discussion of implementing schools uniforms and approached the administration with her proposal.
“Sometimes I see these students dressed like they’re walking down Hollywood Boulevard,” Denker said, explaining how her idea of MHS school uniforms began.
The idea of mandatory school uniforms at public schools is not new, with the numbers of public schools implementing uniform requirements steadily growing over the years.
In the 2007-2008 academic school year, about 18 percent of public schools had a mandatory school uniform requirement and approximately 55 percent of public schools enforced a strict dress code, according to the U.S. Department of Education and National Center for Education Statistics.
Denker said some of her friends have children enrolled in private schools where students wear uniforms, which also gave her the idea.
“I hear how easy their mornings are; that’s nothing like my morning,” she said, referring to getting her children ready for school.
Denker researched the effects of school uniforms and how it refocuses the students’ attention from fashion to academics and creates a stronger sense of community.
The debate has already begun for the parents and students of MHS. PTSA President Wendy Sidley gave her personal opinion and support for the topic. Sidley wore a school uniform herself and was a former teacher for 10 years. Sidley said school uniforms positively affected student behavior and attitude in the classroom.
“I wore a uniform for eight years and liked it,” Sidley said. “At my school, many of us found our own way to individualize and accessorize our uniforms, so we were able to express ourselves within the constraints of the uniform. I don’t know if the parents at MHS are interested in adopting uniforms, but over the years I personally have heard more people speaking in favor of it [rather] than against it.”
The MHS student population might not be as receptive to the idea, such as Wendy Sidley’s daughter, MHS freshman Jane Sidley.
“Kids should be able to express their individuality in the way they dress,” Jane said. “I say no to uniforms at Malibu High.”
Not all students oppose the idea of uniforms, though. As a 2010 graduate of Louisville High School, a private, all-girls Catholic high school in Woodland Hills, Jenna Parezo said she supported the idea of a school uniform.
“Everyone looked organized and studious in their uniforms so there was no judgment of ‘wow, what is she wearing?’” Parezo said. “The atmospheres of the classrooms were always relaxed yet composed because uniforms kept things tidy. I’m sure my parents loved it, too, because think of how many clothes they would’ve had to buy otherwise.”
MHS Principal Mike Kelly declined to comment for this story, saying he wanted to wait until parents had received information about the proposal.
The School Site Council will meet at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, for a meeting in the MHS in the library, and a discussion of school uniforms is featured on the agenda. The School Site Council is a group of teachers, parents and students in charge of decision making and policy changes.