Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
A survey of parents leaves Oldsmar Elementary School short in its bid to become the first public elementary in North Pinellas to require student uniforms.
By ED QUIOCO
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 29, 2000
OLDSMAR -- A proposal to require Oldsmar Elementary School students to wear uniforms has been dropped because not enough parents supported the idea for school district approval.
School officials, who began working on the proposal in October, sent surveys to parents earlier this month. For the proposal to pass muster, the Pinellas County School District requires that at least 55 percent of the surveys are answered and returned to the school, and at least 75 percent of those returned surveys had to be in favor of school uniforms.
Oldsmar Elementary came pretty close.
About 77 percent of the surveys were answered and a majority -- 68 percent -- of the parents who responded liked the idea of uniforms. But that is not enough to fulfill the county requirement.
"We were very close," said principal David Schmitt. "But it's a dead issue at this point. I'm glad we looked into it. We know what our community truly feels."
If the proposal succeeded, Oldsmar Elementary School would have been the first public elementary school in North Pinellas to require uniforms.
The first school in Pinellas to require uniforms was Azalea Elementary in St. Petersburg in 1996. Seven schools since have turned to mandatory uniforms and 15 elementary schools and a middle school have a voluntary uniform policy.
Schools in Pinellas and across the nation with mandatory uniform policies have reported that uniforms helped to improve student behavior and contributed to higher achievements.
Proponents also say uniforms help bridge socio-economic differences between students by getting rid of expensive designer clothing worn by students.
Despite those testimonials, a 1997 national study using statistical analysis and empirical research determined that uniforms did not contribute to higher achievement or improved discipline. The study was conducted by two University of Notre Dame graduate students.
The School Board leaves the issue of uniforms up to each individual school, said Ron Stone, school district spokesman. The county does lay out numerous requirements that schools have to fulfill before they can adopt a uniform policy.
Although the effort in Oldsmar failed in its first try, Stone said, school officials have the option of reviving the proposal as many times as they would like.
"Every year, you have a new group of students moving in who may change the complexion of the vote," he said.
Christine Foley, the chairwoman of the committee that investigated the uniform policy in Oldsmar Elementary, said she has not heard anyone mention taking up the issue again.
"That's always a possibility, I'm sure," Foley said. "We were really happy we heard from so many people. It's such an emotional issue."
Lori Dinelli, whose daughter Sydney is a first-grader at the school, said she was disappointed that the proposal failed.
"I think uniforms would make the school look so much better and it would change the attitude of the school," Dinelli said. "The kids would all look the same and they would all feel the same. And it would be so much easier getting my kid dressed in the morning."