Committee finalizes the dress code policy

This is what the school board will be voting on at their July meeting which will be the second Monday in July at the Caldwell High School.

School officials plan to enforce a stricter dress code for elementary students in the Caldwell School District this fall. The dress code will promote unity and school pride and enhance the educational environment. A dress code puts the classroom focus on learning instead of fashion.
Caldwell's 3,000 elementary students in six schools have shown great strides in academic improvement over the last few years. The purpose of a new dress code is to take learning and academic success to a higher level.
Caldwell's policy committee met Thursday morning and wrote the below policy, to be enforced this fall in elementary schools only. These recommendations still must be approved by the board on July 13. If approved, parents will be notified of the policy and where they can purchase appropriate clothing.
Dress Code for Grades Kindergarten Through Fifth

UPPER BODY
Solid Colors: Royal blue, Tan, Gray, White, Yellow, Green, Pink or school selected color/shirt (No Red, Black, Navy or colors that match the bottom in color and shade)

1. Collared shirts
2. Long or short sleeved shirts – no sleeveless shirts or T-shirts
3. Clothing must be free of brand logos and graphics larger than one (1) inch in diameter
4. All items must fit properly
5. Under-shirts and T-shirts, if worn, should be underneath the standard uniform (code) top.

LOWER BODY
Solid Colors: Black Pants, Dark Blue Pants or Dark Colored or Blue Jeans

1. May include: pants, capris, skirts, shorts, skorts, culottes
2. All items will be no shorter than three inches above the knees
3. Clothing must be free of brand logos and graphics larger than one (1) inch in diameter or capable of being covered by a belt.
4. All items must fit properly

OUTER WEAR
1. Sweatshirts and sweaters are permitted in solid colors, no logos or graphics larger than one (1) inch in diameter unless they say “Caldwell” or are specific to the school.

Principal discretion reserved in all questions or concerns.
If you have questions or comments, please contact Caldwell information director Jennifer Swindell at jswindell@caldwellschools.org

Policy Meeting June 18th

There will be a policy meeting on June 18th. The location of this meeting are unclear at this time. Then the policy will go to the lawyers to review it and then it will be voted on in July.
Parents who would like to be involved have been meeting periodically. To sign up for times and dates to attend these email parents4csd@gmail.com and you will be automatically updated.
At our last meeting we discussed the conclusion of the last board meeting and how they had changed what was agreed upon at the committee meeting. Jonathan suggested jeans as part of the uniform and then at the board meeting he couldn't explain why they were on the list, even though it was his original idea.
At our future meeting we are going to focus on some of the discretions of the district office and ways we can approach the district and resolve those issues that are causing us concern and ways we can resolve them.

Committee request for input by parents

At the Thursday 7am committee meeting at the PDA building behind Syringa, Jennifer Swindell asked for parents help. She would like as much input as possible before their next meeting, which will be Tuesday the 26Th. She would like to know what colors and style of shirt and pants we want.
Our committee discussed letting each elementary be in line with their own colors and give principals the discretion of allowing certain logo t-shirts, sweatshirts and occasional casual days.
There were eight parents that attended the meeting Thursday night. The ideas we had so far are as follows:
Shirt Colors: navy blue, tan, gray, white, purple, yellow, the entire spectrum of green.
Shirt Styles: crew neck, polo, mock turtleneck (undershirts will need to be tucked in, no layering).
Pants Color: slacks: black, khaki, gray
Pants Style: , slacks, 5pocket straight jeans indigo color (no bag, no sag) (no skinny pants)
Belt: If you wear a belt, solid brown and black
Shorts Styles: No cargo shorts, 3" above the knee
Next meeting will be held on June 4TH at Lewis and Clark Elementary at 7PM.

Thrusday 21st 7am Committee Meeting

The outcome of the parent meetings is very favorable. Committee members listened to parents and are now taking the path of least resistance. At the uniform committee meeting this morning a few parents that attended reported that it has been tentatively decided that formal uniforms are not going to be part of the dress code for the elementary kids this fall. A Uniform Dress Code was suggested as a substitute title to help identify middle ground that all parties can agree with.
Jonathan Cline spoke to the members and stated that he did not care for the atmosphere at Monday nights meeting when parents were sorta yelling at committee members and committee members sorta yelling at parents. He went on to state that Wednesdays meeting was much more effective and helpful to the committee. The atmosphere was better and this is obviously a passionate topic so maybe Mondays meeting had to take place so people could move forward on both sides of this issue. They are now steering away from the vendor idea to help those parents who are concerned about cost (this issue is now resolved). The committee is meeting again next Tuesday the 26th at 7am to decide the style and type of shirt and pants.

It is important to note that they are still planning to recommend to the board the conclusion that they come to next Tuesday for implementation this coming fall. They have to decide if they will have a pilot school, mandate all schools, or have have an opt-out school. There are still important decisions to be made, so if you have any suggestions please come to the parent meeting tonight.

Jennifer Swindell has also requested that we get as many ideas (types of shirts, pants and what colors you would like available) that we can get from parents and bring them to next weeks meeting. Our voices have been heard and the line of communication is now open, it is up to us if we will use it. Please respond to either this post or through our e-mail if you can not attend tonights meeting at Lewis and Clark lunch room 7pm.

Communication with the public Policy

As posted on the district website http://caldwellschools.org/Policies/1000/1010.pdf

It will be the policy of the board to keep the community informed of the objectives,
achievements, needs, and conditions of the school system. The superintendent of schools will be
responsible for initiating and administering a continuous program of communications within the
community. The superintendent will utilize school personnel and all media available in
discharging his or her responsibility.
In order to achieve this goal, the following practices shall be followed:
1. All news articles, radio broadcasts, T.V. appearances, and interviews pertaining to a
particular building must be approved by the building principal.
2. All news articles, radio broadcasts, T.V. appearances, and interviews pertaining to the
school district as a whole shall be approved by the Superintendent.
3. Central office personnel and building administrators shall inform the community
relative to the new programs and services available within the Caldwell School
District. This shall also include proper recognition of the achievements of both
students and staff members, as appropriate.
Roger Quarles rquarles@caldwellschools.org

Candidates Interviewed by the Press Tribune

The district has been examining the possible uniform policy this spring. A majority of parents the district surveyed at conferences favored the idea, but a number of others have complained that they either don't like the idea or that the district is moving too fast to make the best decision.
A series of public meetings has been scheduled on the matter in the coming weeks, and it will come up again at a school board meeting on June 8.
Three candidates seek the two open zones in Caldwell in the election Tuesday.
Amy Rojas, current chairperson, will run uncontested in Zone 1. Since the zone is uncontested, Rojas will be appointed to the position. Incumbent Leif Skyving will run against Richard Zuercher in Zone 5.
Here are the candidates' views on the district's possible move to uniforms in its six elementary schools. Rojas didn't get her comment to the IPT by press time.
Leif Skyving
Candidate in Zone 5
"From all the research I've done I believe a uniform dress code is worth considering. Since there are still three committee meetings to be held, meetings open to the public, made up of teachers, administrators, and parents, I cannot say with certainty which proposal currently being discussed will make the most sense. Whether it's one pilot school, or all six of our elementary schools at once, or something in between. After all parties have been heard, and the committee has made its final report, I will support the policy that I believe will give, and maintain for kids, the safest, most positive learning environment."
Richard Zuercher
Candidate in Zone 5
"I would be in favor of uniforms being put in place maybe in one school," he said. "Get some data collected on the one pilot school, make it voluntary so students who want to can go there."
Zuercher said he would want to see compelling evidence from the pilot school to implement uniforms such as a rise in student achievement or a significant reduction in the occurrence of violence.
"I don't see the school board having enough information to actually put in a districtwide model of school uniforms, especially this close to the beginning of next year."
One concern Zuercher has is the age of the students involved. He said uniforms can be used in high schools with older students to reduce gang violence but doesn't see how that would apply to elementary students.
"If parents really did want schools to institute uniforms, I wouldn't have a problem doing it as long parents were prepared to pay the costs involved."
Thank you Tabitha Keily

Information about The Levy we are voting on tomorrow

Authorize administration to proceed and secure the polling places at Sacajawea Elementary and
Wilson Elementary for the upcoming election for the Supplemental Levy and Trustee election for
Trustee A. Rojas and Trustee L. Skyving as well as appoint Nathelle Oates as Senior Judge.
A motion was made by Trustee L. Simmons and seconded by Trustee J. Hopper to set the
Supplemental Levy for voter approval on May 19th election. A minimum of $950,000 is
recommended. The levy would be used in the following manner:
$201, 500 Gifted and Talented (K-7) Certified Personnel
$616,000 Elementary Music/PE Certified Personnel
$30,000 Athletic Support, primarily for the CHS Stadium
$80,000 Purchase of textbooks with State Special Distributions
$17,500 School Nursing Personnel (RN) over and above Nursing Grant
$5,000 Fine Arts Enrichment in partnership with Caldwell Fine Arts
$950,000 Total
DO YOUR HOMEWORK, GO AND VOTE