No Uniforms in GCSD9

As most of you know, the Granite City School District in Granite City, Illinois, has considered passing the "preferred dress code" for all students K-12 within its jurisdiction, effective at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. Many people have complained, but few have attempted to do anything about the decision. We, the undersigned, believe that uniforms will not:
-raise test scores.
-be a deciding factor in how high students score.
-make students who don't care about school care about school.
-change someone's attitude about another person/group of people.
-eliminate the problem of cliques.
-eliminate teasing or fighting.
-make schools safer (intruders can easily buy the said uniform, as they are easily available just about anywhere, and pass as a student, especially at the high school level) or eliminate or reduce the presence of drugs, drug paraphernalia, or other illegal substances on school grounds.

Furthermore, we believe that the implementation of this new, stricter dress code clearly infringes upon the student's right to express him/herself through clothing, which is a right that should be respected as long as the clothing worn does not pose a threat to the person wearing it or the people around him/her, solicit any sort activity that is illegal or violent in nature, is not obscene, or call too much attention to anatomical details. We also believe that any problems concerning the nature of clothing at school can easily be rectified by simply doing more to enforce the dress code, and that the problem of bullying can be solved by imposing harsher punishments for those who engage in the act. Uniforms should be reserved as a last resort, and at this point, we are not desperate enough for that last resort.

Please re-evaluate the decision, and really think about what you, the school board, are about to do, and ask yourselves if it's all still worth it.