A Logan City School Board member supports school uniforms and says children don't need to make statements with how they dress.
"I want to level the playing field," said Ronald L. Peterson. "I think by wearing uniforms, students could focus on doing well academically, musically and with other pursuits, as opposed to being a fashion model."Students these days, particularly those in middle school and high school, are under too much pressure from their peers to have just the right clothes to be accepted, Peterson said.
"This makes it especially difficult for people who can't afford it for their children to enjoy school," he said, adding, "I don't think we need to spend a lot of money on clothes."
Like Peterson, Paula Olsen, principal of Ellis Elementary, said, "Uniforms allow people to be judged on what really matters in school."
Peterson introduced the idea of uniforms last spring and encouraged residents of the district to contact him with their opinions on the subject. "The responses were 17 to one in favor of it (uniforms). People were very enthusiastic," he said.
He said that ratio may not be completely accurate, because he realizes people were more apt to respond to his informal survey if they were in favor of uniforms. Still, Peterson said, the level of interest indicates the school board should continue to explore the issue.
Of those supporting uniforms, Peterson said, newly all were parents - either of young children, current students or children now out of school.
Reaction among students is considerably different, Peterson said. "Kids don't like it at all."
When asked what he thinks about uniforms, middle-school student Dan Hatch shook his head violently and said, "I don't even want to think about it."
Olsen said she frequently asks her students, children and children's friends how they feel about uniforms. "Most of the time they say they don't like the idea, but they understand the reasons behind it," she said.
Peterson's study of school uniforms comes at the same time as Senate Bill 15, drafted by Howard Stephenson, R-Draper. The bill will be introduced in the 1994 Utah Legislature, and, if passed, would allow schools or school districts to require students to wear uniforms.
"I hope we'd be one of the first (districts) in the state to consider it and maybe adopt it," Peterson said.
While the bill focuses on using uniforms to reduce violence caused by gang clothing and activity, Peterson said his motive is different.
"That's not my concern," he said. "Maybe two, three or five years from now, I could see that (gang activity) becoming a problem here, but my position is doing it to get rid of status."
Ann Geary, district council PTA president, also said Logan's purpose with uniforms is not gang-related. "The reason up here is very different from Salt Lake," she said. "It's showing kids you can dress the same and it's OK."
While she has not decided her stand on school uniforms, Geary said, "I think we're going to have an uphill battle" from parents if the district adopted uniforms.
Additionally, before the school district can act on the uniforms, Peterson said it must first resolve problems caused by fee waivers.
"If we decided to have uniforms, those students who qualify for school lunch would also have to qualify for free uniforms," he said. "The school district couldn't afford that." He didn't know what costs would be involved.
If Logan gets uniforms, Peterson said, they should be used in elementary schools first, to "get students used to the idea."