Graduating in SSA

A letter to the editor of the Tennessean this morning by Mary Beth Pickney explained that graduation gowns are leftover from the Middle Ages when scholars always worse such robes to university got me thinking and then shaking my head.

We have a small, vocal and determined minority of MNPS parents who are still not happy with the recent BOE vote to bring Standard School Attire to all of Metro Nashville Schools. They are holding out hope that once the policy is written it will have a carte blanche opt-out policy that enables their children to avoid being part of the MNPS team and not comply with SSA. They've even talked about creating faux religions if necessary and dare principals to declare them not bona fide. These parents complain that SSA stifles a child's creativity, is a violation of the free speech of the child and violates their rights as parents to raise their children as they see fit. Asserting that there is no evidence (that meets their criteria) that SSA has an impact on learning or discipline they will also allow that it may work in some schools--but it's not needed in the schools their children attend. They talk about continuing their protests at BOE meetings, filing a class action lawsuit, picketing the first day of school and even supporting their own children in their efforts to not comply and force administrators to send 'good' students to fill ISS (in school suspension) rooms wasting valuable time and energy until they get their way.

If only their sense of justice, their passion and willingness to demand fairness and sue for redress would extend to the actual lack of facilities, resources and qualified personnel prevalent in MNPS all of which has been more than adequately studied and revealed. But no. What hill have they chosen to die on instead? Nothing fires their passion like not letting their precious wear a baby doll top, slashed jeans or "sweet spot" on their backside. Over what issue will they call a lawyer to file a class action lawsuit? Over what issue will they call the realtor to begin the move to a more enlightened community? Over what issue will they enable their children to defy 'the man' and risk their educational standing? Clothing.

And yet, the vast majority of these parents will ensure that their child has the appropriate cap, gown, honor stoles and cords in exact compliance with graduation tradition. That Standard School Attire, that team uniform, they embrace with peacock pride. Go figure.