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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, October 2, 2003

Kaiser considers uniform shirts

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

HAWAI'I KAI — A proposal to require Kaiser High School students to wear uniform T-shirts to improve safety and security are sparking debate on campus.

Some administrators and parents polled at a recent school open house favor the idea, but students are not taking to it easily. An informal poll of 100 students by the student council showed that most do not favor uniform shirts.

"I like to wear my own type of clothing," said ninth-grader Skylar Chan. "Even though it would be easier in the morning, I'm not in favor of uniforms."

Principal Gayle Sugita said uniform T-shirts would solve two problems: Teachers wouldn't have to deal with dress-code violations from students showing bare midriffs, and non-Kaiser students could be easily identified.

"Safety is our primary issue," Sugita said. "Uniforms would quickly establish who belongs and who doesn't."

The uniform recommendation came from the school's School-Community Based Management council and would require approval from the administration, teachers, community, students and parents.

A number of middle and intermediate schools in the state — most recently Niu Valley Middle School — have adopted uniform T-shirts, but Kaiser would become the first public high school to do so if the measure is approved, according to state Department of Education officials.

Kaiser, a school of more than 1,000 students that sits atop a hill off Lunalilo Home Road, has had a few issues with security. Four students were arrested for issuing bomb threats earlier this year, and the school recently installed video cameras in the cafeteria because of food fights.

Senior Jed Hughes thought the school administration was over-reacting to security threats from an open campus. The former Colorado resident said even after two students killed themselves, 12 students and one teacher in 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., his nearby school didn't require uniform T-shirts.

"I think they're flipping out about security," Hughes said. "There's such a remote chance of anything happening here."

Teacher Rinda Fernandez, who advises the student council, said students have said they don't think uniforms will make them feel safer on campus. But a small minority favor uniforms because then they wouldn't have to make decisions in the morning about what to wear.

At the last student council meeting, students decided that parents need to do more research into the uniform shirt issue and they needed to poll more of the students before a vote on the issue could be taken, Fernandez said.

The students have asked the parents to find out the cost and come up with a logo design by working with Kaiser art students.

"The students are approaching it very intelligently and are seeking a compromise," Fernandez said.

Students expected to finish collecting their polling data and make a presentation at the next SCBM meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the school library.

SCBM member and parent Carl Makino said he favors the use of uniform shirts for safety's sake, but said teenagers do need to express their individuality.

"If we go the uniform route, I'd be in favor of the designs coming from the students themselves," Makino said.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.