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NewsMay 26, 1999

PERRYVILLE -- Students in Perryville public schools might be discarding their Tommy Hilfiger and Boss jeans labels for something a little more nondescript. The 2,400 students in the district could be wearing school uniforms next year. But before the dress-code policy is changed, school board members want to survey parents, teachers and students about the idea...

PERRYVILLE -- Students in Perryville public schools might be discarding their Tommy Hilfiger and Boss jeans labels for something a little more nondescript.

The 2,400 students in the district could be wearing school uniforms next year.

But before the dress-code policy is changed, school board members want to survey parents, teachers and students about the idea.

Surveys were sent home with students this week to be returned before the end of school Thursday. A telephone survey of the community will be conducted June 10.

Some parents recently had questioned school board members about the possibility of requiring uniforms. Board President Dennis Martin said no decision has been made, but the board will consider the idea later in the summer.

Student safety was cited as the primary reason for requiring uniforms, Martin said. "It will be easier to identify students, and the uniforms won't lend themselves to having places to hide contraband," he said.

In light of recent school shootings in Colorado and Georgia, many school boards in Missouri are questioning dress-code policies, said Brent Ghan of the Missouri School Boards Association in Columbia.

The idea of requiring uniforms for public school students is probably getting more attention now than it has in the past, he said.

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If uniforms are suggested by the board, Perryville would be the first public school in the area to enact the policy. Many parochial schools already require students to wear uniforms.

Notre Dame Regional High School is revising its dress code, but no one would say if uniforms were going to be part of that policy. Information should be sent to parents in the coming week.

Some public schools in Kansas City and St. Louis require that students wear uniforms. But often the dress code isn't mandatory, just suggested, Ghan said.

A Cape Girardeau County safety committee of school and law enforcement officials had suggested school uniforms last August as a way to make campuses more safe for students. No official recommendation was acted upon by the Cape Girardeau school board, however.

Perryville had considered offering school uniforms about two years ago, but surveys showed little support among parents, teachers and staff.

The idea was suggested then as part of the district's comprehensive plan. Now the idea deserves more consideration, Martin said. He thinks the community might support the issue, "but I have no idea if, at this point, there is a majority," he said.

No action would be taken without a majority of support from parents, staff and community members.

If surveys do find that uniforms are acceptable, Martin said the board would appoint a committee to decide what sort of uniforms would be worn. The committee could recommend that students wear a certain color pants or skirts and shirt like khaki pants and white shirts, or it could recommend that uniforms be ordered through a catalog company.

To comment on the survey, contact Linda Boxdorfer at the district office at (573) 547-7500, extension 330.

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