It’s about more than fashion
How important is a dress code at school? Very important, according to a group of parents with children at Woodland Academy.
On Monday more than 130 parents met to discuss implementing a dress code as a way to help eliminate bullying and teasing, but also to establish a sense of pride in an institution that has seen some success recently.
“Over the past year the school has improved greatly,” says Jabian Gutierrez, the Central Mass Organizer of Stand for Children, the grassroots child advocacy organization behind Monday’s event. “They met the AYR (Average Year Requirement) in math, and saw a significant improvement in reading.”
A group of Woodland parents has joined Stand for Children to discuss issues, and they’ve made implementing a dress code a top priority.
“It has nothing to do with inappropriate clothing,” says Gutierrez. “We have no issues like that at the school. It was more an issue with the parents who thought it’d be helpful [for school operations].”
Gutierrez says that almost 70 percent of parents who have children at Woodland Academy are Latino, and many of them are immigrants from Latin American countries, where almost every school has some type of uniform.
“It’s a way to be identified as a Woodland student,” says Gutierrez. “It’s also about pride, discipline, and not having to deal with distractions. With kids nowadays, what they wear matters, but they really just need to focus on education.”
Diego Rivera has a 6-year-old son who attends Woodland, and he is also a member of the Stand for Children parent group.
“I feel a dress code is something that we need at Woodland Academy,” Rivera says. “It’s the simple fact that it’s for the safety of the children. If you see a student outside in the Woodland uniform, then you know exactly what school they go to.”
Rivera cites many positive aspects about having students wear uniforms to school.
“Kids are mean,” he says, “and it shouldn’t be a competition about what they are wearing. With a uniform dress code the students will be able to focus on school more.”
“Someone may buy shoes at Payless and not have the latest Nikes,” Gutierrez notes. “We want to stop the bullying that’s centered on what kids are wearing.”
Gutierrez and Rivera hope that they can get all the parents on board, and are excited about the response they’ve already seen.
“Parents both of English- and Spanish-speaking backgrounds spoke on this issue [at Monday’s meeting],” says Gutierrez. “That night we started a petition and I believe almost everyone in attendance signed it. There really wasn’t any pushback.”
Although nothing is official and the exact uniform has not been decided on yet, Gutierrez says it will most likely be purchased at Target for around $10.
“The actual clothing and language of the dress code policy will look similar to that of the Jacob Hiatt School,” he says.
Rivera is looking forward to adopting this dress code initiative.
“I think it’s very important for Woodland Academy because it’s essentially all about the education of the kids.”