Exemption Request

The following is a request for uniform exemption that I prepared in the summer of 1999.  This written request was handed to each board member after I stood before them and read it at the August 10, 1999 Midland Independent School Board meeting.  I brought with me to the meeting a copy of each of the sources cited in this request and a huge notebook full of research.  The board voted on it that night with 5 FOR granting the exemption, 0 AGAINST it, and 2 ABSTAINING.   I have the board meeting on video tape also.  Some of you have read this before, and parts of this request have been used in later exemption requests by other parents.  My original was lost when my hard drive crashed, so I have retyped it from the hard copies I kept.
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I respect each and every one of you on the school board for the time, energy and effort that goes into being a member of the board.

PHILOSOPHICAL & RELIGIOUS REASONS

It is obvious from my actions this year, my comments in the media, and my appearances before the school board that I feel strongly about the issue of school uniforms.  I am requesting an exemption based on my philosophical and religious objections under the Texas Education Code 11.162 (c) which states: "A parent or guardian of a student assigned to attend a school at which students are required to wear school uniforms may choose for the student to be exempted from the requirement or to transfer to a school at which students are not required to wear uniforms and at
which space is available if the parent or guardian provides a written statement that, as determined by the board of trustees, states a bona fide religious or philosophical objection to the requirement" I am reading from that written statement and will provide each of the board members a copy when I have completed the reading. 

Texas Association of School Boards says that "Presently there is no actual mandatory student uniform law since …. philosophical reasons is plainly a broad, undefined term that could cover a world of objections."

UNIFORM POLICIES ARE EXPERIMENTAL AND UNPROVEN

From my extensive research since this February on the issue of school uniforms, I sincerely believe that school uniforms are at best, a fad.  As Los Angeles Millikan Middle School principal Norman Isaacs states, "I have soured on uniforms of the past three years, interest has declined.  The uniform is like a bandage; it solves some of the
symptoms but not the real problem.  I think it is going to gradually fade away."  At Los Angeles Mulholland middle school they have a uniform policy.  Only problem is nobody wears one.  The uniform look has been pushed to the back of the closet.  Mr. Tarin, the principal, said it makes very little difference.  He states "I'd like to see all of my students in them.  But I would rather use my time to improve education at my school."

A federal study of nearly 5000 students published in the Sept/Oct '98 Journal of Educational Research conducted by David Brunsma and Kerry Rockquemore has found that students that are required to wear uniforms are NO LESS LIKELY than their casually dressed peers to get in trouble in school, to fight, smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs.  And they were NO MORE LIKELY to attend school regularly or to get higher test scores.  A second study presented by Eloise Hughes, ED.D. at the San Antonio TX ASCD Annual Conference reported, "Uniforms do not increase attendance, neither do they have wide support of middle school-age students."  A third study published by Educational Testing Service found, "schools that required school
uniforms did not have levels of delinquency significantly different from schools that did not require school uniforms."

Dorothy Behling, a researcher at Bowling Green University, found that models wearing school uniforms were thought to be better behaved and more academically successful than models not wearing uniforms.  One possibility is that reports by teachers of improved student behavior once uniforms are worn may actually be due to the stereotype that a school uniform triggers, rather than any actual change in student
behavior.  As a parent, supporting and promoting school uniforms given the amount of information that is contrary to uniforms is illogical and hypocritical.

UNIFORMS VIOLATE MY PARENTING PHILOSOPHY

I consider my job as a parent to be the most important thing I do.  I only have a short time to teach, train, model and prepare my children for their future.  The concept of LOVING GUIDANCE from La Leche League is a parenting philosophy that I have followed for the past 14 years.  You can read more about this philosophy in Chapter 15 of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.  Loving guidance involves devoting yourself to meeting your child's needs.  A parent looks to the cause of the child's behavior and learns how to avoid future behavior problems.  A parent sets REASONABLE and AGE-APPROPRIATE limits.  Remember that each child is an individual and you can't lay down hard and fast rules that will be appropriate for all children.  It is a parent's job to help our children learn to take care of themselves.  With understanding guidance, a child will grow from dependence to independence gradually and always with the love that is his birthright.  My children have been choosing their own clothes wisely
for many years.  I believe that a superficially imposed school uniform policy would be a backward step in their growth process.

GRACIE BONDS STAPLES is a Ft. Worth Star columnist whose comments reflect a similar philosophy.  A recent column emphasized the one piece of parenting advice that fits all children:  unconditional love.  She quotes from 200 Ways to Raise a Girl's Self-
Esteem, "parents need to emphasize the value of uniqueness in their children."  A uniform policy that is the same for all my children is inconsistent with valuing their uniqueness as individuals.

From Raising Your Child, Not by Force, but by Love, Dr. Sidney Craig, I learned that the principles by which one human being can influence another to develop in a psychologically healthy manner can be found in the Old and New Testaments.  As a parent, I rely on Christ's examples of acceptance, gentleness, kindness, trust, faith,
forgiveness, patience, understanding and unconditional love.  The Golden Rule not only applies to adults, but also to children.  When I stop and think, "Am I treating my child the way that I would want to be treated", I find myself handling parenting much differently than I otherwise might.  Applying the Golden Rule to school uniforms, "Would
I want to be told what to wear day after day and not be given choices in my attire?"  No, I wouldn't.  Then why should I expect my children to conform to school uniforms if I myself wouldn't want to be told what to wear?

Raising Awesome Kids in Troubled Times, by Sam and Geri Laing discusses how physical appearance is a faulty foundation for building a child's confidence.  To give God all the credit for every gift your child has, and teaching your children to do the same, gives a child a sense of humble appreciation.  I continually teach my children to
value the inside of a person, not the outside.  "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)   Jesus said, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed:  a
man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."  (Luke 12:15)  I have always emphasized that no one is better or worse than anyone else because of what they have or don't have.  This applies to uniforms as well, no one is better than anyone else because they wear a uniform.  Instead of taking the emphasis off of appearances, this uniform policy places the emphasis on our student's appearance!

UNIFORMS VIOLATE the TRAINING that I have given my children.  Proverbs 22:6 teaches that I should train my child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it.  Specifically, from the book Designer Genes by Ken Abraham (Psalms 139:13-16 and Romans 12:2)  "You are a unique individual.  An original with unique gifts, talents and personality traits.  Why should you want to be like someone else?  You don't have to be!  You, as a Christian, are free from external status symbols of the world. In fact, our Creator despises our attempts to squeeze all of His
diverse, original creations into the same mold.  That's why Paul wrote, `Do not be conformed to this world, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.' Dare to be yourself!"

One of the purposes of school uniforms is "BUILDING PRIDE", yet I have taught my children that pride is an attitude of superiority, a puffed up mentality that manifests itself in an arrogant, unrealistic estimation of oneself in relation to others.  Instead we should be humble, not thinking of ourselves as better than anyone else.  We do not base our self-esteem on conditional or transitory factors such as how you look, what you've done, the job you hold, or the attention you receive.  Toward the end of last school year, my son recognized that students modeling uniforms were acting prideful as they "strutted around" feeling superior. 

Another purpose of school uniforms is to create a "SENSE OF BELONGING", yet I believe that a child's sense of belonging should be with the family, not the school.  An example of this is that even thought students at Bush Elementary are given BUSH BUCKS for wearing the school shirt on Fridays, my children chose not to don the attire
of everyone else, wearing instead shirts of their own choosing.  I believe this is because they felt secure in their identity that they felt no need to "belong" to the spirit shirt gang.  One 5th grade bully at Bush frequently wore her red BUSH spirit shirt last year,
yet she was known for her cruel bullying of other students. 

I do not wish my children to accept without questioning interventions from the government.  Some of the greatest leaders of our history believed in civil disobedience.  If no one took a stand to try to improve the quality of life or challenge something that is wrong, we would still have segregated schools, women would not be allowed to
vote, and young children would be working instead of going to school.

I have always taught my children to stand up for your beliefs, even if it seems that everyone else is giving in.  This confidence to be able to resist is important for them to be able to say NO to peer pressures of alcohol, drugs, etc.

I have taught them to value education, because the more education they have, the more choices they will have in their adult lives.  Many minimum wage jobs require uniforms.  Professional positions usually allow for more flexibility in attire.  A higher education
provides more choices in life.  I don't wear khaki pants and a polo shirt to work in day after day.  It is a choice I have made in my life.  What a boring town this would become if Midland were like "Pleasantville" and the only acceptable clothes were khaki twill
pants and the only acceptable shirts were white, maroon, and navy polo shirts.

VIOLATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS

Texas Education Code CHAPTER 26 addresses PARENTAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES in Sec. 26.001.  (a) Parents are partners with educators, administrators, and school district boards of trustees in their children's education.  Parents shall be encouraged to actively participate in creating and implementing educational programs for their children.  (b) The rights listed in this chapter are not
exclusive.   This chapter does not limit a parent's rights under other law, (c) A board of trustees, administrator, educator, or other person may not limit parental rights. 

The passing of school uniform policies show a lack of respect for the authority of parents.  Until this uniform policy was brought up, our children's attire was never an issue, in the home or at school.

I believe that it is the PARENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO TRAIN THEIR CHILDREN.   This is evidenced by my active role in the education of my children.  In the past I have placed my children in a private Christian school and I have home-schooled because I believed it to be in the best interest of that child at that time.  I accept and do not wish to relinquish my responsibility to educate my children. I feel that a uniform policy is an unnecessary government intervention into how I spend my limited resources.  We and many other families rely on good quality hand-me-down clothing and don't spend a large portion of our income on school clothes each year.  This mandatory uniform policy places a financial burden on many parents that don't qualify for assistance. 

VIOLATION OF INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS

Many people quote the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution when discussing freedom, which is argued by attorneys and defined and clarified over time by judges through the legal system.  Although the Supreme Court stated that a student's rights are not relinquished at the school door, there are still some who believe that children have no rights.  Rather than arguing a legal point, I'd like to point out that the Declaration of Independence clearly states that all Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.  As Americans, we greatly value our freedom of choice.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Those who would deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."  Uniforms in public schools should be a family or individual choice within reasonable guidelines of decency and safety.  Students should be allowed to dress comfortably and uniquely.  Their rights as human beings do not stop at the school
door.  I realize that some people look down on children as inferior, but I am comforted by  1 Timothy 4:12, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are Young, but set an example for the believers in Speech, in Life, in Love in Faith and in Purity."  I have given this bookmark as a gift to many young people in my life. 

UNIFORM POLICIES CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS

Uniforms make it more obvious to other students that someone is violating a dress code because the guidelines are excessively strict and if one student is not reprimanded, but another one is, selective enforcement is significantly more noticeable.  This can cause
problems between students that otherwise would have gone unnoticed under the regular MISD dress code. 

In Boston, at Lawrence High School uniforms caused more problems because of interrupted classes, after school detentions, suspensions, inequitable enforcement, and chaos created by the implementation of the uniform policy.  Disgusted, many students quite attending school altogether.

In many classrooms, I believe that uniforms are detrimental to the learning environment.  I have been informed that teachers are the "police" of this policy and have taken time from classroom time to check the students for "proper attire".  Uniforms create a visible difference that is not conducive to the learning environment.  There
are no studies showing at requiring a collar on shirts or khaki over denim promotes either discipline or learning – a T-shirt and jeans is perfectly appropriate for public school wear.  The teacher/student relationship is important in a child's learning process.  It is important that the teacher not be seen as the "uniform police" that a
uniform policy requires them to become.

According to an article in Education Week titled "Violence is Preventable" by Maruice Elias, professor of psychology at Rutgers University.  "To change a school's culture so all children can learn, we must address the relationships that exist in that school.  Adults and young people who develop skills to communicate with one another,
problem-solve together, believe in the richness of diversity, and embrace conflict as an opportunity to grow, can and do contribute to the kind of school culture we search for in schools today."  Uniforms do not show respect for diversity.  In this article several
guidelines are suggested to foster a safer, more caring school climate are given, and uniforms are not in the recommended list.

Uniforms jeopardize the safety of our younger children since they are not easily identifiable by their attire.  Many times after school a mother will be looking for her son and asking teachers & students if they have seen him.  A missing child would normally be recognized by his clothing, but if all students are wearing the same thing, the
missing child will not easily be found.

If a student is assaulted, he will be less likely to identify his assailant if he doesn't know that student's identity since he won't be able to identify him by his clothing.  Standard attire jeopardizes the security of the upper level schools now, as anyone dressed in
khaki and white can slip into the hallways posing as a student. 

PURPOSE OF THE SCHOOLS

Schools were not created to mandate conformity, but to educate.  And according to Mr. James Bradford, formerly with MISD for over 30 years, we need educators, not wardens, heading our schools.  The principals he admires led by example and believed in being a role model for their staff, students, and the community.  In his recent article, Mr. Bradford asks "Is there a cancer on MISD, is it being ignored, will it be allowed to spread and contaminate the rest f the system?"

I believe that districts should not adopt uniforms because it's fashionable or to appear tough.  Since this February, I have been opposed to the methods used to promote uniforms of misleading the Campus Education Improvement Committee members, the teachers, the media and the parents with partial and biased information.

I am disappointed with the intentional misrepresentation of statistics in order to promote this policy.  When actual data is revealed, we find that the one school with uniforms in Midland did worse than other Junior High schools in Midland that did not have
uniforms during the past two years in the area of attendance, dropouts, discipline referrals, and grades. 

I am disappointed in the school board's failure to establish policies and procedures before the issue of school uniforms was even brought up, and especially before votes were held.  Other school districts in Texas have specific guidelines about how the schools should get the information out to parents and how the parent voting is to be
conducted.  The other policies also state that if a school is unable to provide a uniform for educationally disadvantaged students, uniforms will be discontinued.  Other school district policies also state if a parent desires an exemption from the uniform policy, they
must present a letter stating their philosophical or religious reason to the principal of the school.  MISD had a first reading of student uniform rules on July 27th, 1999.  The Texas Education Code 11.162 

(d) states that:  "Students at a school at which uniforms are required shall wear the uniforms beginning on the 90th day after the date on which the board of trustees adopts the rules that require theuniforms."   Since MISD has tonight tabled the rules that require uniforms, according to this TEC law, uniforms cannot be required
until 90 days after the passing of those rules.

I will now distribute a copy of this written statement which explains my philosophical and religious objections to the requirement of school uniforms.  I respectfully request that the school board now find my reasons sincere and genuine and grant the exemption from the uniform policy to me under the Texas Education Code 11.162 (c) which states:

"A parent or guardian of a student assigned to attend a school at which students are required to wear school uniforms may choose for the student to be exempted from the requirement or to transfer to a school at which students are not required to wear uniforms and at which space is available if the parent or guardian provides a written
statement that, as determined by the board of trustees, states a bona fide religious or philosophical objection to the requirement."

I ask that you will respect me as a parent and my parenting philosophy, and my objections, and grant this exemption.

Thank you,
Susan Houdyshell