What to wear?

Fall fashions for teens are in full view as students strut their stuff down school hallways. Many students have chosen a "uniform," whether it's Madonna plaid, the Britney Spears midriff or Freddie Prinze Jr. preppy.

Amid the fashion fury, some skintight, sprayed-on, sex-on-a- platter fashions have teachers and administrators daydreaming about another kind of uniform -- the kind that comes one-style-fits-all, such as khaki slacks and white polo shirts.

Oh, the horror. But to some administrators, switching to uniforms makes sense in an environment where many teachers say they find certain clothing inappropriate and distracting.

"Recent issues are tank tops, spaghetti straps and short skirts -- cases where we are more concerned with preserving modesty," said Sheila Kries, a theology teacher at Gonzaga Prep. "Current styles become very sexually provocative."

Some students consider uniforms far less appealing.

"School uniforms are wrong because they take away our freedom of choice," said Fred Barker, a Bowdish Junior High freshman. "They'd make us all look the same, and it takes away our personality."

Some teachers long for the days when debates over thongs in school focused on footwear. Many of the latest fashion trends call for guys' clothes to be understated and girls to be underdressed.

There are few such distractions at the Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy, a public school where high school students have worn uniforms for three years. Principal John Sarchio said uniforms create a culture of learning.

"We are trying to build a culture within the school that is academically orientated, and we felt that by having uniforms we could support that type of culture," Sarchio said. "And it has worked for everything it was designed to do."

If you take away the fashion-show angle of school, students can pay more attention to academics. And nearly everyone seems happy with the results, Sarchio said. "Parents and the teachers really like the idea of uniforms."

Some students aren't so enamored.

"I think they take away from school spirit and creativity," said Elizabeth Craig, a Charter Academy student.

"Uniforms just create more rules that kids are going to break. That creates a distraction," said Zach Cheely, a Charter Academy sophomore. "They are an unreasonable standard on us."

But other students agree with admistrators who say uniforms are less distracting than some of the latest fashions.

"Uniforms are good because they bring the student body together and focus on academics," said Clint Camster, also a Charter Academy student.

The Charter Academy is among 3 percent of U.S. public schools requiring uniforms, according to the National Association for Educational Statistics. Nationally, public schools are turning to uniforms in response to violence, theft and student gang affiliation, which usually aren't major problems in Inland Northwest schools. Here, issues center on fashion distractions in the classroom, which many schools try to resolve with dress codes. Disagreement over the effectiveness of dress codes has sparked some schools to discuss uniforms. Gonzaga Prep will begin an academic review this year.

"The faculty last year took a vote and would like to discuss it. I think a lot of people would like to see something done," Kreis said.

Gonzaga Prep Principal Al Faulkner said faculty is divided on the issue. "I think the split is about 50-50," he said.

Alana Smentek, a Gonzaga Prep sophomore, has worn uniforms in the past and has mixed feelings about them. "What you wear doesn't change who you are," she said. "I never really liked uniforms because I couldn't wear what I wanted to. They kind of infringed a bit on my rights."

Schools mandating uniforms as part of their "dress for success" approach to education claim positive results. In Long Beach, Calif., one of the first public school districts to require uniforms, officials said grades went up and behavior problems, such as theft, went down.

A study done by USA Today found another benefit to uniforms: reduced clothing costs. Uniforms cost about 80 percent less than nonuniform clothing.

Danielle Dickerson, a University sophomore, sees a distinct advantage to uniforms.

"School uniforms are a good idea," Dickerson said. "They'd help people to blend together, and it would be a lot harder to tell a family's income by the clothes they're wearing."

Some teens may think all teachers support uniforms, but many teachers still favor teen choice.

"Uniforms intrude on students' expression," said Don Ciavola, head of the Upper School at St. George's.

Al Faulkner of Gonzaga Prep agreed.

"We are trying to raise kids that will be able to function in today's society and that means helping them make appropriate decisions about dress," Faulkner said.

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