The other day while trying to escape the hot weather at the Secaucus pool, I found myself in hot water, in more ways than one. I received criticism from an irate resident for going along with the majority vote choosing Uniformity as the sole company to supply uniforms to the Secaucus school children for the 2006-2007 school year.
Point of information - I've always had a respect for minority opinion, check the record. The test of courage comes when you are in the minority. I now find myself facing a new test, the test of tolerance, when I find myself on the side of the majority. So tolerant I was. I informed the person that Uniformity was one of three companies approved, Land's End and Green being the other two. She then accused me of not knowing what I was talking about, of no longer being a minority voice on the Board and selling out to the majority. I know the lady has a political agenda. I encouraged her to write a letter to this column accusing me publicly of what she had just said and I would respond. I thought to myself, was this the way the political power, now in office, plans to come at me, attacking my position on our school uniform policy. If so, bring it on.
A short time later, to my surprise, she came back and produced a letter the Board of Education had mailed to the parents of children in our system. The letter, on Uniformity stationery, opened with this statement, "We are pleased to have been chosen to uniform your children for the 2006/2007 school year."
Now in all fairness to this woman, the letter she showed me was the only document/letter she had been given by her daughter from a mailing that included various other related information regarding the uniform policy, etc. I informed her that there were two other uniform companies flyers in that mailing, one from Green Uniform Co. and another from Land's End.
Now, my reason for writing this letter is to set the record straight: I can understand how those of you who interpreted the Uniformity letter the same way the lady who confronted me did. Let's face the very first statement, "we are pleased to have been chosen to uniform your children for the year 2006/2007 school year" was/is at best misleading, at its worst deceitful. The Uniformity Company at the present time is under a cloud in Bayonne. I have been following some of the complaints of the residents of Bayonne as well as the comments their mayor and council have made in regard to the Bayonne School Board's uniform policy and the selection of Uniformity to supply uniforms.
A majority of parents have voted in favor of uniforms. Question - was the uniform decision the result of the majority of parents who made themselves heard and voted for it, or is there a silent majority of parents that failed to vote on this issue, and will not comply with the policy come October 2, 2006. Time will tell!
Tom Troyer
Post a Comment