School uniforms and the hem police

Re: “Should we really be debating mandatory bras for students?” (Allison Hanes, June 11)

The recent bra brouhaha brought me back 20 years when I was principal of a school that prided itself on a strict uniform policy. In fairness this was supported by the entire community and I, appointed this position, became enforcer in chief.

There were memorable discussions at the school committee level because students have an endearing manner of pushing limits. While the colour of the uniform was spelled out clearly, hair hues were not.

Several staff members suffered apoplexy when various shades of green and purple appeared. The combined input of the staff and parent committees changed the rules for the next year to read that only natural colours were permitted. Problem solved, except …

What about the necessity of hair at all?

Bald students appeared and the whole rule book had to be discussed again.

I accepted responsibility to direct the school, a most successful one at that, and of course I did enforce against flagrant diversions from the norm. However, I did ignore one of the basic rules. The acceptable length of tunics was clearly spelled out in the student manual. I had no intention of policing the length of secondary school girls’ uniforms, and now long and safely in retirement can admit I never did.

The recent idea of enforcing underwear rules is so preposterous that I cannot imagine anyone even pretending to enforce them.

Students will push and will find loopholes in regulations. Left to themselves, they will find a happy medium within the limits of the ever changing styles of the day. Forced into regimentation, they will rebel.

My bet is that if the schools in question had never tried to regulate the length of hems and the number of buttons that can be left undone on the top of the blouse, the bra question would never have arisen.

Ronald G. Macfarlane, Châteauguay