Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nevada patrons unhappy with uniform issue

A few parents in the Nevada School District voiced their displeasure concerning the uniform issue.

This was done at the November meeting of the Nevada School Board, where some of the parents told the board Nevada is a "poor district" and people can't afford uniforms as well as regular clothes.

They also claimed there was no notice of the election and the uniform issue.

However, these parents jumped the gun as no uniform has been selected, as there is no uniform committee at this time. And, as Nevada Superintendent Rick McAfee said, a uniform can be almost anything.

McAfee got the meeting underway by pointing information about the election had been on the radio, the local newspaper and notes had been sent home with students concerning it. Additionally, he said, sample ballots were in local businesses.

When the election was held in September, the uniform issue passed 80-60. Then the complaints began, as some district residents decided they didn't want uniforms for students.

McAfee contacted Scott Smith, attorney for the Arkansas Department of Education, and was told this issue has to be in place at least one year before it can be voted on again. This means, it will be the 2005-2006 school year election before voters can bring it up again, and by then, McAfee said, it may be a moot point.

Gov. Mike Huckabee is expected to call a special session on Dec. 8, to work on the school suit issue, and get a plan in place to comply with the court order from the Arkansas Supreme Court concerning the Lake View lawsuit resolution.

If the session is held, McAfee said, the district will hold off on looking at all policies until the session ends and there is some idea of which direction the state will be going. "There will be some reform, and I hope it's what's best for the children, but we don't know."

For the uniform issue, he said, the district will need to form a committee made up of teachers, parents and older students. This group will decide what constitutes a uniform for the district and what the uniform policy will be.

Sharon Henry, one of the parents, said she voted after reading about the election in the Picayune, but a lot of parents didn't get any information about the election.

"It should be the parents who decide what their children wear," she said. "Who's going to help those buy uniforms that can't afford them. Some people have four children. I'm not for it. You need to think about the parents."

Sharon added Nevada is a poor district and most parents can't afford school uniforms.

Scott Harding, another parent, said he was against uniforms as well, but will deal with it. He also voiced concern about those parents who can't afford uniforms for their children and asked how the uniform policy would be enforced for those who didn't wear them.

Rodney Thornton said his main concern was the possibility of people pulling out of Nevada and going to another school.

"I hate to see people leaving. I like the school, and it's doing a good job. I didn't vote on the uniform and have no gripe with it, but I am concerned."

Thornton said he, too, was concerned about how the uniform policy would be enforced.

McAfee agreed the parents's complaints and concerns were legitimate. He said the board decided in its March 2003 meeting to let the parents decide and put it on the ballot.

"The big issue will be what is a school uniform," he said. "I've got information from around the state and in Texas. Texarkana has a uniform policy with nine different colored shirts and seven different colored pants in its policy."

What will determine what a uniform is, he said, will depend on how the policy is written.

And, he continued, once the policy is written, it will be presented to the personnel policy committee for review. The PPC will have 30 days to examine the policy and return to the board with its recommendation, but the board will ultimately decide on what constitutes a uniform for the Nevada district. However, the board will likely follow what the teachers and parents want to do.

With the legislative meeting looming, he said, there's no need for parents to worry about this now. Policies for the district will be presented to the board at its January meeting.

"We will work diligently on the policy issues," McAfee said. "We'll try to keep uniforms as inexpensive as possible, but we've got to live with it for at least a year."

McAfee invited the public to be part of the uniform committee to help set the policy.

On the topic of people possibly leaving the district because of the uniform policy, McAfee said it bothers him.

"I feel we do an excellent job of educating the children. Our teachers work hard and we have a good situation. We want to entice more parents to feel a part of the school. If a family chooses to move, it's unfortunate and I feel that I or the school failed the family."

If the family moves legally he will support the move, but, he said, if a family moves illegally the district will do what it can to stop it. "I don't see the uniform policy causing people to move from the district. The people voted and gave us a mandate. We must follow it and we'll be fair."

Mack Bridges, board president, said the board thought the uniform issue should be decided upon by the parents, and not the board.

Todd Brown, a member of the board, said he's been to two different schools with uniform policies and was unable to tell the students were wearing uniforms.