As a resident of Nederland as well as a business owner and a parent with children and grandchildren in Nederland, I commend the school board, the teachers the administrators, and the students for their work in studying the aspects of using school uniforms and their actions regarding implementing the use of such uniforms for the 2008-09 school year.

There are potential benefits as well as problems with the use of school uniforms. Some of the benefits are: Preventing gang colors, decreasing violence and theft because of clothing and shoes, instilling discipline, reducing need for teachers to be clothing police, reducing distractions, instilling a sense of belonging, and helping schools recognize those who do not belong on campus. Some of the potential problems are: Uniforms may violate freedom of expression or individuality, cost, and concern that it might infringe on religious freedoms.

Regardless of whether you are for our against the use of uniforms, our school board had a hard decision to make concerning the safety of our children especially with the growth that is happening in NISD and the potential violence that might come with that growth. You might say that Nederland is a low risk school and we don't have to worry about violence, but so was Columbine, so was the Amish community, and so were the school shootings in Wisconsin. We can never completely stop violence in our schools but we can work together to help stop the problem. Implementing a standardized school uniform is one way to help alleviate the problem before it gets started. We should stand behind the decision that our school board has made for the safety and security of our children and grandchildren.

Kenneth S. Young Jr.

Nederland