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Health & Fitness

School Uniforms

As a former member of the Nazareth Area School Board, one of the first things I did was to look at the dress code. I found that there was no real uniformity of said code. Many did not understand that what I wanted to do was to bring about a uniform dress code not school uniforms. Now we have Allentown putting into place school uniforms and the Bethlehem Area School District considering school uniforms due to the work of Mr. Basillio Bonilla. Will Easton and Nazareht follow Allentown and Bethlehem? When I entered the elementary one room school on Bushkill Center Road, I was wearing biboveralls and a shirt, probably flannel. That was the choices you had at that time. i outgrew those overhalls by fourth grade and was only to happy to do so and went to regular dungaree pants. My attire would change again when I went to the Nazareth Junior High School for my mom received a letter from Mr. Day, the principal, that dress shirts and kakhi pants were to be worn by the boys. Young ladies had to wear either a dress or skirt and blouse. The dress code was mandarory. I remember mom telling me to not get into any trouble or wear the pants outside school to play in because if the pants were stained they would not come clean and mom would have to pay for another pair. I beleive the price was four dollars. For those of you who don't believe in a dress code I would remind you of an old adage: Clothes Make the Man and if you do not believe that I suggest that you look at those who sit in the seats of power in our nation. Note the tailor made suits that probably cost in the $1000 plus range, The tailored shirts and ties also costing hundreds of dollars. Why do they do this? Simple, they want to make and impression on others. And keep in mind that this holds true for the ladies. As to Nazareth Area High School District and I would venture other school districts, I think school uniforms shhould be put into place for a very simple reason. School districts willl tell you that they have a dress code but the real question is do they enforce it and the answer to that is a loud NO. I believe that dress uniforms will not only stop bad things from happening they will improve the behaviour of the students and improve the morals and values of our society. We have become a raunchy society and inappropriateness increases each and every day and that is taking us down a very bad highway. I would also put into place another element and that is a dress code for teachers. Male teachers should be properly attiered with shirt, tie, suit, or sport jacket. Ladies should be in a dress or a skirt and blouse after all the teachers are the role models. I would note that their are schools in this nation where the students wear shirts, ties, slacks, skirts, blouses, and appropriate footwear as does the staff. Mr. Bonilla I want to thank you for reopening the case for school uniforms in Bethlehem where I taught for 32 years. The dress code was whispered about in the latter years in that we had the beginning of the "hats on in school and baggy pants below one's backside" just beginning.

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