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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 10, No. 10
Schools get uniform treatment by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
Last week’s Antioch Unified School District Board meeting briefly turned into “American Idol” as board member Wade Harper said, “With uniforms we won’t have to worry about ‘pants on the ground, pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground.’” The school board voted 4-0 (Teri Lynn Shaw was absent) to require students in all of the district’s schools, including high school, to wear uniforms unless they sign a form opting out of the requirement. Board members hope the wearing of uniforms will help instill a more professional attitude in students, reduce violence, particularly that involving gangs, and make it easier to identify outsiders on campus. Committees are forming at the high schools to discuss how best to implement the new policy and what the uniforms should look like. Uniforms could be in effect six months after the committees provide their recommendations to the board,
Photo by Dave Roberts
James Travers, a seventh-grader at Dallas Ranch Middle School, urges the school board to not adopt uniforms in high schools. which could happen in the next month or two. While implementation of uniforms has been largely successful in many of the district’s elementary schools and to a lesser degree in middle schools, it could become problematic at the high school level.
Surveys of parents at Antioch and Deer Valley high schools showed slight majorities against uniforms. And most of the parents and students in the packed boardroom on Feb. 26 argued against adopting high school uniforms. Lisa Hunt, whose daughter at-
tends Dallas Ranch Middle School, said she can see a purpose in having uniforms in the younger grades, “but to implement this to high school is almost trying to retard our children’s growth. We expect them to make mature decisions and are grooming them to make choices. There’s already a dress code in place. They need to follow those rules. We have to allow them the freedom to grow.” Her daughter, Madison, agreed, saying she opposes uniforms “because we wouldn’t be able to think for ourselves and would be told what to do. If we are forcing kids to wear uniforms they will rebel, which would cause fights or maybe mouthing off to teachers. I really don’t want that to happen.” Antioch High senior Cassie McGrath told the board that uniforms would take away individuality and self-expression. She added that uniforms would not solve the “pants on the ground” problem because some boys “will sag their
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March 5, 2010
This Week Solemn celebration
Relay for Life troops are ramping up for an all-out assault in the war on cancer. Page 5A
YMCA in salvage mode A vital special-kids program will survive the closing of the Oakley YMCA. Page 18A
Panthers end DV dreams
see Uniform page 18A
Public turns out for 2-Gates update by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer The Discovery Bay group working to stop the construction of the controversial 2-Gates Project has stated that while substantial progress has been made in the fight over what many feel is the precursor to a peripheral canal, the real work is still ahead. “They said we couldn’t go up against Goliath. Well, guess what: (we did) and we made a difference,” said Karen Mann, vice chair of the Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA). “We hope you’ll stick with us, because we are not done yet.” That was message from the grassroots organization – formerly the San Francisco Bay and Delta
Online Now!
Photo by Richard Wisdom
Save the California Delta Foundation Chairman Dave Dove offers a brief history of the Delta during a public forum Monday night at Discovery Bay Elementary School. Foundation – and other guest speakers who participated in the informational town meeting held Monday night at Discovery Bay Elementary School.
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“This is a war, not a battle, but a war that will continue and continue and continue,” said Supervisor Mary Peipho, one of the invited panelists. “We have had some suc-
Flagpole fix
go to news/WebExtras! Sometimes an ordinary repair job can read like a fable from ancient lore.
cess, but we cannot afford the business-as-usual, laissez-faire attitude … I warn you that the wolf is still at the door.” The moderate-sized crowd at the meeting viewed public service announcements and clips of an upcoming PBS Delta documentary, learned a little history of the region and was updated on the progress being made at the state and federal levels regarding the 2-Gates project. General information on the challenges facing the Delta waterways in the coming years was also touched upon. Susanna Schlendorf, district director for Assembly member Joan Buchanan, Environmental Water Caucus representative David see 2-Gates page 18A
Net gain
go to news/press releases Diamond Hills is offering a youth tennis league to non-members at a price to love.
Deer Valley traded blows with Antioch for three quarters, but couldn’t deliver the NCS knockout punch. Page 2B
Plus: Business ............................... 8A Calendar ............................ 23B Classifieds ......................... 14B Cop Logs ............................14A Food .................................... 12B Health & Beauty .............. 10B Milestones ........................ 21B Outdoors ............................. 6A Opinion ..............................13A Sports ................................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Safe shelter
go to multimedia/videos Shepherd’s Gate offers abused women and children asylum and compassion.