Schools

West Deptford BOE Mandates Uniforms for Gym Class

The policy aims to cut down on students not changing for gym class as well as clothing theft.

Written and reported by Anthony Bellano.

The school district has a solution to ensure West Deptford High School students no longer wear their gym clothes to class or have them stolen.

A new policy calling for specific uniforms for Physical Education class was introduced at the final Board of Education meeting of the summer.

The policy, which had been discussed previously in the Curriculum Committee in June, was not introduced to the full board until the Aug. 26 meeting.

“It was an oversight and I’m sorry it happened that way,” said Superintendent Kevin Kitchenman.

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“We just went through a laborious budget process, and this is something we need to know about,” said Board President Christopher Strano.

“If the taxpayers are paying anything at all, this is something that needs to come up and something that needs to be voted on.”

Find out what's happening in West Deptfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The uniforms—gray shirts and green shorts with a spot for nametags—will cost parents $14, the lowest bid the school district could procure. Students will be permitted to wear identically colored clothes if need be, and the Board said there are options for families who are unable to afford them.

After a discussion, the board added the item to the agenda and approved it unanimously.

The school district will explore uniform pricing options annually, according to Kitchenman, and they will become a line item in the 2014-15 budget. He added that funding is covered for this year.

“Currently, students wear t-shirts, shorts, sneakers and socks, and in many instances, they’re wearing the same thing they wore to school,” Kitchenman said.

“They can’t wear the uniform to school, and they’re not to be worn during the day. Students are wearing their athletic uniforms to class. This is a way to stop it.”

West Deptford joins Clayton, Clearview, Delsea, Deptford, Glassboro, Paulsboro, Kingsway, Moorestown, Shawnee, Washington Township, Williamstown and Woodbury as local high schools that assign uniforms for gym class.


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