Assalam alaikum,

Starting next September parents will be required to purchase uniforms from www.alaainc.com. This means that all students must purchase new sets of uniforms and will not be allowed to reuse any existing items for next year. The cost of a short sleeve shirt via this vendor is $12, the cost of a pair of pants is $17 for small sizes, $20 for large sizes and long sleeved shirts cost $13. In order to purchase 3 pairs of small pants, 3 long sleeved shirts and 3 short sleeved shirts in hopes that this number will be sufficient, the cost will come to $126 + tax + shipping. This cost is per child. If you have more than one child at Abraar then you will easily spend at least $300 per year. This is not factoring in other items such as cardigans, hijabs, tunics, etc. Alternatively, big box retailers offer uniforms on sale for $5-$10 per item, making the savings substantial.

Furthermore, the vendor states that there are NO returns, exchanges or refunds. So, if your measurements are wrong, you have no choice but to trash the items you just bought and buy new ones.

The school has stated that there is a need to purchase the dress code from this vendor in order to unify the shade of blue. However, this hardly seems like a logical enough reason to make parents pay hundreds of dollars on a yearly basis unnecessarily.

The school also argues that they notified parents this year of the change during back to school night. However, parents who were unable to attend did not receive the notification. The school secondary site has been updated to reflect this after this petition went live. Coincidence? The secondary website until May 5th 2015 stated the following regarding the school uniform:

"The styles and colors may differ slightly from store to store, which is acceptable."

The site also stated that this vendor is only a preferred vendor.

"You may purchase the uniforms at any of the major clothing stores such as Old Navy, Sears, Walmart, etc. There are also several online options to choose from. However, we do have a preferred vendor!"

There was no update that purchase from this vendor has now become MANDATORY, except on the elementary school link (https://sites.google.com/a/abraarschool.com/admiss....) which was updated in April 2015. Although the school has now updated the secondary school link, it is still viewable here: https://sites.google.com/a/abraarschool.com/secondary/home/school-uniform

and here:https://archive.is/https://sites.google.com/a/abraarschool.com/secondary/home/school-uniform

Why were parents not privy to the school's decision? Why were we not polled before the new policy was forced on us? Wouldn't it be better to ensure that the current dress code is enforced rather than burdening families with unnecessary financial costs?

We should be part of the decision.Please sign the petition and make your voice heard!