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School board delays vote on student uniforms until August

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BEAUFORT -- The Beaufort County Board of Education on Tuesday delayed a vote on a districtwide uniform policy until August after several board members said the board was pushing the proposal on parents too quickly.

The board planned to vote on the policy at its July 15 meeting. The proposed policy would require all elementary and middle schools adopt a uniform policy by the 2009-10 school year. High schools would follow suit the following school year.

After four residents spoke -- some in favor, some opposed -- board member Earl Campbell said the board was shoving the proposal "down the public's throat." Board member Reid Eikner also recommended delaying the vote.

"We're rushing into something too fast," Campbell said.

Board Chairman Fred Washington Jr., who led the ad-hoc committee that created the proposal, acquiesced.

The vote now is slated for Aug. 19 with time set aside for public comment about uniforms at each meeting until then. The board asked the district to create a more detailed policy, including which students can opt out of wearing a uniform, possibly for medical or religious reasons.

Washington encouraged board members to meet with constituents about the topic.

Under the proposal, administrators and the school board would outline parameters for uniforms, but elementary and middle schools would establish specific policies through individual, school-based panels.

Fifteen of the district's

28 schools, not including the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence, do not have uniform policies.

Washington repeatedly said Tuesday night the board does not believe uniforms will turn around academic performance, but is one of several measures to be taken.

"It's not meant to be a panacea," he said.

Board member George Wilson said he intends to vote for uniforms unless someone gives him a good reason not to.

"There's not one study I've seen that says uniforms hurt academics," he said. "It may help some of those children."

Board Vice Chairman Bob Arundell said uniforms may not be necessary for high schoolers.

"If the kid can choose electives that affect their future... we have to admit the kid needs to make decisions about what (he or she wears)," he said.

Several members, including Wilson, Joan Deery and Jim Bequette, compared schools to the workplace.

"Just about the only time we can wear what we want is when we own our own business," Deery said. "You don't get to wear what you want when you're working."

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