Kramberger: Do West Island public colleges want uniforms to take care of gown codes?

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Although a overwhelming majority expressed opposition when polled, college students at John Rennie Excessive College will alter to obligatory shirts being applied this fall, as their counterparts seemingly did final yr at Beaconsfield Excessive College.

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Nonetheless, within the face of rising meals costs or price of dwelling, some West Island mother and father would possibly query if uniforms — even when solely informal shirts — are an affordable measure for public colleges to offset potential confrontations over implementing gown codes or if it would someway enhance safety by serving to employees determine outsiders within the hallways.

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Whereas it’s nonetheless the canine days of summer season, JRHS mother and father are being requested to fill out on-line orders by July 30. Shirts with JRHS branding shall be made-to-order by means of a chosen agency that has a manufacturing facility outlet in St-Laurent. The corporate’s clientele contains about 25 elementary and excessive colleges, together with BHS and off-island Westwood Excessive College, which each launched obligatory tops final yr.

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Costs for JRHS brand tops vary from $13.50 for a T-shirt to $26 for a kangaroo-style sweatshirt. Tops are available in black or gray, with lengthy and quick sleeves, crew or v-necks, for a mixed 19 choices.

Except ready to do laundry every day, my fellow mother and father could be smart to purchase not less than 5 lengthy sleeve tops and as many T-shirts per little one, a college wardrobe which might add as much as between $170 and $250, relying on types chosen.

In fact, some teenagers would possibly nonetheless wish to categorical their individuality by carrying non-school brand tops after the afternoon dismissal bell rings, so mother and father might face shopping for additional common clothes for journeys to the Fairview Pointe-Claire mall or wherever else West Island teenagers decide to relax.

A survey indicated a big majority of JRHS college students opposed the thought of a compulsory college shirt, whereas a overwhelming majority of college employees have been in favour. Dad and mom who responded have been cut up, with almost as many for as in opposition to. Final Could, the JRHS governing board voted 10 to 3 to proceed, with one abstention.

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Opponents cited lack of self-expression, consolation and value as their high causes, whereas these supporting obligatory tops cited college satisfaction, security and ease of clothes alternative.

JRHS, which has round 1,300 college students, confronted mounting scrutiny over the appliance of its gown code about two years in the past. The Pointe-Claire college eased up on implementing its gown code final yr, aside from forbidding hats and hoods. This led to some college students coming wearing clothes that was judged to be inappropriate, as famous in governing board assembly minutes.

Whereas the obligatory tops are on the way in which, not less than there may be a wide range of informal put on types, as college students had requested within the survey.

The brand new obligatory tops rule for JRHS comes into play as of Oct. 10. So, that leaves the primary month and a half of the approaching college yr for these college students to don tops to specific their individuality, their eager style sense or to determine with their favorite artist or sports activities group.

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It’s as much as particular person college governing boards to resolve on obligatory tops, correctly. It’s not a top-down strategy determined by the Lester B. Pearson College Board, which manages English colleges from Verdun by means of the West Island to the Vaudreuil-Soulanges area. Thoughts you, it appears to me that solely a small portion of fogeys even pay shut consideration to their college’s governing board, even when points resembling obligatory tops are on the agenda.

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