WATERLOO - A group of parents and administrators wants to study the idea of requiring uniforms for all Waterloo Community Schools students.

Superintendent Dewitt Jones Monday told the Board of Education that the school community network is forming a subcommittee to look at how uniform policies for students in kindergarten through 12th grade are set up in other places around the country. The network is a purely advisory group.

"It would look differently in elementary than it would look in middle and high (school)," said Jones, if district-wide uniforms were some day approved by the board. "They would like Waterloo to be the first district in the state to require uniforms K-12."

The network includes each district school's principal and a representative from the site council or parent-teacher organization. Members heard a presentation last week by Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence Principal Liz Crowley, whose building is the only one in the district where uniforms are required.

Members had expressed an interest in hearing from Crowley with the idea of looking at uniforms for elementary schools. However, after she spoke Jones said representatives from the district's 20 schools "without a question" were interested in studying the possibility for all students.

After the subcommittee studies the issue, it would bring a recommendation to the network. The group would then bring its recommendation to the board.

"This is going to take some time, because there's a lot of issues that would have to be discussed," said Jones.

Not every uniform proposal has fared well in the district. A proposal to require uniforms at the new Poyner Elementary School was voted down by parents a year ago while attending teacher conferences. Parents at Elk Run and Jewett elementary schools, which merged when Poyner opened this fall, were asked to weigh in on the topic, but 59 percent were against it.

Contact Andrew Wind at (319) 291-1507 or andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.