Opposition To Mandatory Standardized Dress Code

The proposed standardized dress code, aka school uniforms, for Henderson Independent School District is intrusive, violates parental rights (which are God given), violates the 1st Amendment to the Constitution and is anti-American.

At the March 1 public meeting, a proponent for school uniforms stated that children will have to wear uniforms when they grow up and get a job. There are at least two different points to consider in regards to this issue: 1. School staff does not wear uniforms, they wear casual, everyday clothes so this is contradictory in itself, and 2. When you get a job, the employer PAYS you a paycheck and so the employer does have the right to dictate what you wear. In the case of the public school system, the taxpayers fund the school, not the other way around.

Some parents like the uniform policy because it makes it easier to get ready for school in the morning. Think about this for a moment. Think of what you are giving away, a right and a freedom, for the sake of ease. Lay out your child’s clothes the night before, or at least have them consider what they will be wearing the next day, and it will help to eliminate some of the commotion of getting ready for school. We should be diligent in preserving our freedom, not relinquishing it to make things easier.

Still other parents like the idea of school uniforms because their child may be picked on for the clothes they wear to school. We should teach our children to be compassionate and never ridicule someone for the clothing they wear. When a child is ridiculed repeatedly for clothing, it's not the clothing that is the problem! It's called bullying and should be reported to a teacher or the principal. Bullying can be mental/emotional as well as physical. We try to hold our children accountable with other aspects of life, so start holding them accountable for ridicule and rudeness also. Taking away everyone's freedom for the actions of a few is unfair and only puts a band-aid on the real problem. A bully is still a bully no matter what everyone is wearing.

A group of parents in Louisiana called Citizens for Parental Rights believes it is the right of a parent to teach their children how to dress and have stated “Parents must be presumed to act in the best interest of their children.” They also quote the Supreme Court ruling: (a) The Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause has a substantive component that “provides heightened protection against government interference with certain fundamental rights and liberty interests,” (Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702, 720), "including parents’ fundamental right to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children," (Stanley v. Illinois, 405 U.S. 645, 651). It’s also a violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech/expression.

The proposed dress code is not a solution to the minor problems of the school system. It is an assault on the beliefs and values that we as Americans stand for. It teaches our children to not be tolerant of others, but to ban together and impose your will upon others. It teaches that instead of dealing with minor problems themselves, to cry foul and let someone else take care of it. It teaches that authority is allowed to abuse their power and violate the most sacred law of our land – the Constitution. It teaches that it’s not acceptable to be yourself, but that you must look like everyone else. It removes individuality and replaces it with herd mentality. It stifles creativity. It belittles thousands of lives lost in our 236 year struggle for freedom in the world.

There have been multiple national studies into the outcome of implementing school uniform policies. Most independent studies find negative effects of school uniforms. Do not rely on studies done by a school district. They are biased.

Think about all aspects of the code before you go along with others that have tried to make it sound like the answer. It is not the answer. HISD needs to enforce the code they have in place.

Thank you for taking time to read this and think about this very important issue. If you agree with the following petition, please sign it. A copy will be sent to the school board. The vote is scheduled to take place at the school board meeting in April.