I hope your principal isnt wasting too much time on the dress code issue.....there are many other areas to work on in schools, and most are bigger issues!!

yes it is true in our state too, school principals MAIN job is to ENFORCE the school board policies, they do not MAKE the policies, they are basically powerless to change them, it is solely the BOE who makes changes, and parents & staff have input at meetings (or at least, so goes the theory).

i wonder what else she isnt able to enforce. i mean, how is the school run in general, if something as simple and straightforward as keeping pants at acceptbale levels, is something she hasnt been able to deal with? those are the things i would be more concerned about.maybe there are other managerial issues about. let her have her personal war to get unifiorms initiated but i wouldnt waste my time on it there are way too many other areas of education that need attention.

maybe the BOE didnt give you much floor time becuase it really isnt the highest priority item....and you dont know what else is up...maybe its a non issue ie your principal has other plans for next year or will be moved..you cant second guess why the BOE does or says what it does....

It sounds as though things will be finalized at the next School Committee meeting, hopefully. I would definitely recommend having a bunch of parents there with statistics and issues and how the Principal is trying to use the non-vote equals yes, etc. Having those parents ask questions like, "Who's going to pay for those who can't afford" and "Does this mean that every school is going to have to conform", should help.

Now, assuming somehow this gets through, or isn't resolved by September yet your Principal forces the issue, how many parents could you get to send their child to school without wearing the new uniforms? Imagime twenty or thirty children having to be sent home and then the fallout at the next committee meeting from this?

Anyway, good luck and keep updating us.
PresidentJim

Update to my saga: at the school board meeting on Monday my husband brought up the issue that state law gives school boards the right to make dress code policy. It does not give that right to school administrators. Our school board does not have a written policy that allows principals to make dress code policy, so the school board should follow their own policies, as well as the law (Our school is not the only school trying to do this BTW). It was too late in the meeting to make a motion (the super loads the agenda with presentationsto avoid discussions like this) so it is on the agenda for the next meeting and there will be a resolution that the board follow it's own policy and require schools to seek approval before implementing any major policy changes. He's got the votes for it to pass, and I should mention that in the history of this school board, it has never not voted unanimously on a resolution. They are really big on giving the appearance of harmony no matter how heated the behind the scenes decisions are.

So at least now our principal will have to go before the board and make her case and those opposing the policy will be able to be heard as well. At least things are a little more democratic now.

Meanwhile our principal is pretending none of this school board stuff is happening and we are definately going to have uniforms next year, which I think is very unfair on parents.

And I am thinking of how far I can push this She didn't say what color blue they had to be, she didn't say what fabric except for no denim.So if anyone runs across a pair of sky blue leather pants in girls size 12, please let me know

kids lose the respect of teachers who dont follow the rules...and probably learn less from them as a result.
and teachers wonder why kids are so difficult these days and discipline problems..well maybe they should look at themselves and what they are role modeling (or not).

underwear for the principal, i LOVE IT!! i once asked a high ranking school official about a policy that wasnt being adhered to...and their repsonse was, oh my, i wasnt even aware that WAS a board policy!!

oops maybe a requirement of running a school is learning all the rules you are SUPPOSED to be enforcing. ok off my soapbox.

Our principal is such a narc on this stuff that they gave her a pair of string underware at the last end of school party (only adults mind you). It is frustrating but regardless I make the boys adhere to what the written code is. Easier to explain the importance of obeying the rules even when others are breaking them....than to let them start to try to figure out which rules to obey...d

good point about the poor role models of some teachers! we have them too at our school, the flipflop wearers, spagetti strap wearers, gum chewers, and other policy violators who are on staff and supposedly should set example for the little ones!

if our school initiated a uniform code i would want to see principal require it of all STAFF to do the same!