First in a series of stories as T&D Region students prepare for a return to the classroom this week and next.

This school year Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 is making it mandatory for elementary students to wear school uniforms.

“All elementary children will wear them. If parents feel that strongly against it, they can opt out and get with a school’s principal to discuss it,” district spokesman Greg Carson said. While it is strongly encouraged that those students wear the uniforms, at the district’s New Visions Alternative Program it is required.

Recently, Superintendent Melvin Smoak sent out a letter to the parents of all elementary students thanking them for their support regarding uniforms. The uniforms consist of navy pants with either a white, light blue or navy shirt.

Associate Superintendent Verneta Guess says khaki pants will be permissible, but only navy pants will be allowed for the 2009-2010 year.

Guess said safety is one reason for creating a uniform policy for elementary students. She also said it will eliminate the focus that children place on fashion. “Certainly we find our students less focused on what other students are wearing and become more focused on academics,” Guess said.

The uniforms can be purchased at a variety of retail outlets, including Belk’s or Wal-Mart. To help parents who are unable to afford the school uniforms, “uniform clothes closets” are being set up with a variety of sizes at Mellichamp and Marshall schools. Local businesses are providing the clothes for this endeavor. For any further information on the program, contact Marshall Curriculum Coordinator Carolyn Williams at 533-6483.

In Orangeburg County Consolidated School District 3, Vance/Providence Elementary School Principal James R. Myers has had school uniforms in place for the last 10 years. The initiative has gotten a positive reaction from the community, Myers said. The school provides incentives to student who wear their uniforms to school four days each week, with items such as free fries from McDonald’s or ice cream from Burger King. On Friday, the entire school has a dress-down day with jeans and T-shirts allowed.

“It enhances and instills more school pride and it keeps parents from worrying about providing the latest fashion,” Myers said of school uniforms.

In Consolidated 5, Mellichamp Elementary Principal Beverly Stroman Spires has promoted school uniforms for seven years. She pointed out that it’s a win-win situation for the school and the parents.

“I think it allows for creativity in dress as well as transitioning them to the world of work where many companies require uniforms. It comes out economically for the parents because they don’t have to buy those expensive brands for their children,” she said.

Debra Jamison, a mother of five who has three children wearing uniforms at Sheridan Elementary, admits she did not support the uniform policy at first. Her evolution came about in realizing how much money she saved when shopping for her children’s clothes.

“It makes my life a lot easier, I wish my older kids had to wear uniforms,” she said.

Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4 does not have school uniforms in any of its schools and has not discussed the issue in a board meeting. OSCD 4 Superintendent Dr. Darrell Johnson sees pros and cons.

Johnson views the aspect of being able to recognize who is in the building and being able to identify an unwanted guest as an enormous positive for security. Like Guess and Myers, he also likes the idea of reducing peer pressure to wear the most expensive and latest fashion.

“It allows for appropriate dress to be worn at all times,” Johnson said.

On the other side of the coin, Johnson believes the uniform compromises the individuality of the students and that children still need to have other clothes for outside of school. He believes a push for uniforms will start with citizens of the district bringing up the issue.

At the state level, Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex believes the issue is a local one.

“Dr. Rex encourages districts to innovate, but he believes uniforms work best when they are not imposed,” Department of Education spokesman Jim Foster said.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached at ltant@timesanddemocrat and 803-534-1060.

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