By Dana Williams
The effort, school officials said, emphasizes not only the chance to save money, but also students’ need to focus on their schoolwork. This is the first year the district has offered the uniform option to students at Davison Avenue and Maurice W. Downing elementary schools, which enroll children in kindergarten through fourth grade.
The policy, school administrators explained, is a product of a Parent Teacher Association initiative begun last year. After learning that many parents in the district were interested in having their child wear uniforms to school, members of the PTA at both schools formed a uniform committee. Surveys were then sent out to elementary school parents in District 12 — which encompasses Malverne, Lakeview, West Hempstead, Rockville Centre and North Lynbrook — asking whether they thought uniforms were a good idea, and whether they would buy them for their children.
“The surveys gave us a chance to get some feedback, and most of the surveys came back in support of the uniforms,” explained Maria Obiol, co-president of the Maurice W. Downing PTA. “That really made this process go more smoothly, because the parents and administrators really supported the idea of having uniforms in our district.”
After the uniform committee met with principals to review the surveys and discuss ideas offered by faculty and students, the Malverne Board of Education approved an optional uniform policy in June, making uniforms an option at both schools. At a Sept. 9 Board of Education meeting, it was announced that the schools had a uniform compliance rate of nearly 70 percent.
“We are excited to begin the new school year with our new look,” said Superintendent Dr. James Hunderfund. “We encourage participation and cooperation with our PTA leadership, and are doing everything we can to assist in the transition for both students and their parents.”
“The students have only been in school for a couple of weeks now, but the turnout with the uniforms has been great,” added Joyce Berry, president of the Davison Avenue PTA. “We’re really hoping that as the year progresses, more kids will start wearing the uniforms.”
The uniform colors for both schools are navy blue and white, and students have a number of clothing options. Boys can wear navy blue pants or shorts with a white oxford or polo shirt, while girls have a choice of a navy blue jumper, skirt, skort, pants or shorts with a white Peter Pan-collar blouse or polo shirt. On days when students have phys. ed., they can wear white T-shirts and navy blue sweatpants.
Parents can buy the uniforms at reasonable prices at a number of retailers, including Target, Sears, JCPenney and French Toast. The latter also offers Maurice W. Downing students the option of getting their school’s logo embroidered on their shirts.
Many parents have said they expect to save hundreds of dollars on school clothes this year.
Parents and administrators say that uniforms have other benefits, such as giving students an opportunity to show their school pride. During a visit to both schools on Sept. 23, the Herald asked several students what they thought of their uniforms, and all of the responses were positive, with most students saying that they liked that their clothes were comfortable.
Some of the teachers at Maurice W. Downing are also wearing the uniforms, to show their school spirit and support the new policy. “The uniforms are great and helpful because it helps me to recognize my students right away,” said Margaret McDaid, the school’s principal. “The students look great and stand out in the uniforms, and we have several teachers wearing the uniforms, so this new policy is also really about showing school pride.”
“What’s great about the uniforms is that it brings a definite school spirit to our school,” added Edward Tallon, principal of Davison Avenue. “The policy is really working well, and the feedback from parents and students about the uniforms has been very positive.”
By virtually eliminating one of the major distractions most students face in school — peer pressure to keep up with often expensive clothing trends — the introduction of uniforms has helped administrators and parents stress to children that school is a place for learning. “The uniforms really help to minimize the chance of conflicts arising among students because of who’s wearing what name brand of clothing,” said McDaid. “The uniforms really help to redirect our students’ energy to focus on their academics, and that’s what we want.”
Comments about this story? DWilliams@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
