Number 2 Pencil

Jake wears a uniform because he attends a Catholic high school and uniforms are a holdover from the days when these schools were private because they did not have funding from the provincial government. He entered high school accepting that he would dress in a pre-ordained manner. A uniform was a price we were willing to pay to attend his school of choice...

But that didn't mean the process was easy. The uniform supplier's only locations seemed to be North Bay, Timmins and Grand Bend. Although items can be ordered via the Internet, gambling on cyber-sizing only means plenty of returns...

Then there was the wholesale sea change the school made regarding the uniform. His school, like many others, walked away from shirts and ties because keeping those shirts tucked in was simply too hard to enforce...

The Conservative government fanned the flames of the uniform debate by ruling that schools could impose a uniform if a majority of parents desired one, even though, when I checked with the ministry every fall, they admitted it could not be enforced because of the charter issues involved.

I've yet to hear how the Liberals feel on the subject but my answer remains the same: No one can force my hand in my neighbourhood public school regarding how my children dress. A dress code to prevent vulgar T-shirts is fine. It's up to parents to ensure that code is followed.