Dress code at Rio Rancho public schools (transfer, school districts)

[Huffman7]

Can somebody fill me in on the dress code / wear policy at the Rio Rancho public schools? I was just reading that shirts have to be solid colors, only specific colors (no pink, no purple), no t-shirts, etc! I thought this was a public school, not private. We are considering relocating to ABQ/Rio Rancho. I have 3 girls whose clothes are mostly some shade of pink or purple. What's the deal? If that is enforced, I'll have to cut Rio Rancho from the list.

[Mike Horrell]

Originally Posted by Huffman7

Can somebody fill me in on the dress code / wear policy at the Rio Rancho public schools? I was just reading that shirts have to be solid colors, only specific colors (no pink, no purple), no t-shirts, etc! I thought this was a public school, not private. We are considering relocating to ABQ/Rio Rancho. I have 3 girls whose clothes are mostly some shade of pink or purple. What's the deal? If that is enforced, I'll have to cut Rio Rancho from the list.

I'm sure that RR will bitterly regret their loss.

[AlisonL]

I like the dress code idea. Its nice to see young people looking well dressed.
No offensive t-shirts, no tummys bare, no baggy jeans with the boxers hanging out.

The kids are going to school to hopefully get an education, not take part in a fashion contest.

[Huffman7]

I would hope that my 7 year old's pink t-shirt wouldn't prevent someone from learning math. I hear subtraction is really tricky. I'm sorry to pull a "Mike Horrell" sarcasm, but seriously, do jeans with sparkles on them really interfere with getting an education?

And thanks, Mike Horrell, for your nugget of wisdom.

Apparently, I was being too optimistic when I thought I could possibly get some thoughtful advice through "senior" members of this forum.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Huffman7

I would hope that my 7 year old's pink t-shirt wouldn't prevent someone from learning math. I hear subtraction is really tricky. I'm sorry to pull a "Mike Horrell" sarcasm, but seriously, do jeans with sparkles on them really interfere with getting an education?

And thanks, Mike Horrell, for your nugget of wisdom.

Apparently, I was being too optimistic when I thought I could possibly get some thoughtful advice through "senior" members of this forum.

Why don't you just check the Rio Rancho school's webpage instead of being sarcastic?

http://www.rrps.net/

[bradly]

Originally Posted by AlisonL

I like the dress code idea. Its nice to see young people looking well dressed.
No offensive t-shirts, no tummys bare, no baggy jeans with the boxers hanging out.

The kids are going to school to hopefully get an education, not take part in a fashion contest.

Exactly!

[domino]

Dress codes are good for high school kids. It gives them the opportunity to be creative in stretching the rules to the limits and rebelling without having to do something really dangerous.

[veggggies]

I personally like the dress code and hope they continue to keep it as it is. However, they are considering changing it. You can see their website at Welcome to Rio Rancho Public Schools!

[Huffman7]

The RR school website is where I read about the dress code initially. After seeing the "wear policy", I was wondering if it was enforced and why it was created to begin with. From where I'm from, parents are able to help their children make intelligent decisions about appropriate dress. We don't need the school board to tell us how to dress our kids. I'd rather the schools worry about transferring knowledge to the kids rather than controlling their wardrobes.

I understand and even agree with the "no tummys bare" and "no baggy jeans" for high school kids who may have less parental supervision (as well as raging hormones). But I think that banning pink and purple t-shirts for elementary school children is a little harsh. Is it a school or a prison? It's hard enough to get kids to enjoy school - making them dress like they work in a prison can't help.

It would be different if it was a private school - you choose to pay to send your children to that school and agree to abide by their strict guidelines. Many parents specifically choose private schools because of the more stringent rules. But usually public schools don't have those same draconian policies.

After researching the school ratings and test scores in Rio Rancho, it doesn't seem that forcing kids to wear blue polo shirts and khaki slacks is making them perform any better than those lascivious, purple-striped t-shirt wearing, 1st grade degenerates in Northeast ABQ!

What are the folks in Rio Rancho afraid of?

[Bobby777]

I'm on Huffman's side. I do not think a dress code adds much value to the quality of education at a school. I've attended both schools that required uniforms and ones that didn't, and I did not feel that they made much of a difference. I have never seen any research that supports a causal relationship between school uniforms and academic performance (or reduced discipline problems, reduced violence, or anything of that nature.) Mostly, they seem like something to please parents and teachers into thinking the kids appear to be more well behaved because they are dressed a certain way.

Some information on the debate of school uniforms can be found here:

http://www.preventschoolviolence.org...20Uniforms.pdf

Some tidbits from that article:

Long Beach Unified School District was one of the first public school districts to implement a mandatory school uniform policy in the mid ‘90s. Although school discipline problems declined after the policy was implemented, there were other changes that occurred at the same time that might have produced these positive effects.
• A study of a nationally representative sample of 8th graders found that students who attended schools with uniforms did not differ from other students in attendance, attitudes toward school, or behavior problems (Brunsma & Rockquemore, 1998).
• Most of the research on school uniform policies has been survey research assessing perceptions of teachers, administrators, parents and students of the usefulness of these policies. Virtually none of these studies used direct behavioral measures (such as records of fighting and bullying at school), and most did not account for the effects of other strategies or interventions that may have been implemented concurrently.
• Despite supportive testimonials and anecdotal reports, the quality of research on school uniforms is insufficient to demonstrate any effect on reducing school violence or improving academic achievement.
• There is a need for scientifically rigorous studies of school uniforms using control groups and independent measures of school conditions and student achievement before and after the new policy is implemented.

There is insufficient scientific evidence to endorse implementing school uniform programs as a school violence prevention strategy. Thus, the CPSV cannot recommend that schools require student uniforms.