Uniforms at school?

[StevenAnderson]

Hello,
        So my squadron is a high school squadron and we meet right after school so would it be inappropriate/ not regulation to wear a uniform to school. I would just change before the meeting but I hate changing at school and it's finials week so we can't carry a bag around. Thanks!

[stillamarine]

A) This is a question better suited for your chain of command.

B) Take it from someone who works in a uniform all day, by the time your meeting comes around after school, it's less likely your uniform will be ready for inspection.

C) Ask your chain of command....

[KASSRCrashResearch]

Hello,
        So my squadron is a high school squadron and we meet right after school so would it be inappropriate/ not regulation to wear a uniform to school. I would just change before the meeting but I hate changing at school and it's finials week so we can't carry a bag around. Thanks!

The most basic question: Do you want to give your classmates another (very obvious) reason to single you out for whatever they can dish out? 

A good rule to live by: just because you CAN do something per the regs doesn't mean that it's a good idea.

[Okayish Aviator]

Hello,
        So my squadron is a high school squadron and we meet right after school so would it be inappropriate/ not regulation to wear a uniform to school. I would just change before the meeting but I hate changing at school and it's finials week so we can't carry a bag around. Thanks!

I'll put it to you this way:

I did infact when I was a cadet use my uniform as a recruiting tool at my high school. Wearing it does tend to single you out a bit, and people ask questions (not too bad if you have your answers locked down before hand). I didn't really care what people thought, but I'm sure there were some that considered me weird or whatever. Once I got several friends to join, and we all wore our uniform together, sat together at lunch, etc. it became a lot less weird, and more normal for others to see us like that. It helped that we had a JROTC unit that wore the same uniforms sans the nametape differences or ribbons. Eventually, we had JROTC guys and gals coming to us about help with uniform wear and etc. It's all how you handle it. Doing it alone sucks though, and wearing your uniform all day means don't expect having the most shiny boots, or the firmest pressed uniform.

Above all, talk to your chain of command about it, if you REALLY want to do it, play it as a recruiting opportunity. I'm sure your unit commander won't have a problem with it if that's the case, as long as you represent CAP in a professional manner. You may even be able to convince your commander to give you some recruiting materials etc. If you're also in JROTC, make sure you also speak to your JROTC commander about it, since you may end up wearing a different uniform, and they may not like it if you are wearing different kinds of uniforms on the same day (even though it can be good when other HS kids are wearing their uniforms the same day).

[TheSkyHornet]

Actually, you are not authorized to do so.

CAPM 39-1

1.2.7. When NOT to wear the CAP Uniform.

.......

1.2.7.5. More than 1 hour following the close of the activity except for travel time to and
from such activities for which the uniform is specified (unit meetings, seminars, conferences, training
activities, CAP Command Council meetings, etc.).

You may wear it as a sanctioned recruiting function. You need to have permission to conduct it from your unit commander.

2-3. Universal Standards of Practice. These standards apply across all aspects of the Cadet Program.

a. Authorization for Activities. Every cadet activity must operate under the authority of the commander
of the hosting unit.

c. Open Access. All CAP activities will be open to parental observation. Secret meetings are not
permitted. Commanders and project officers will make reasonable accommodations to allow parents
open access during the duty day. However, some environments such as operational missions and flying
cannot accommodate non-members. Some activities hosted on military installations and other thirdparty
secure facilities offer only limited access to civilians. In such instances, parental access might be
limited to certain specially-designated times.

d. Two-Deep Leadership. CAP's general policy is that every cadet activity must be supervised by
at least two adult leaders who are in "Approved" status in eServices (see CAPR 39-2, Civil Air Patrol
Membership).

e. Proximity of Supervisor. Because each physical environment, mixture of cadets' grades and
ages, and nature of activity is different, CAP does not set a firm rule regarding the proximity between a
group of cadets and their adult leader supervisor. If supervisors do not have direct line of sight contact
with cadets, they must nevertheless be aware of where the cadets are, what they are doing, and check up
on them periodically.

Now, in a realistic scenario, cadets would usually set up a booth say outside of the lunch hall/cafeteria during school and pass out flyers or talk to potential recruits without any adult member there because it's school, not some event in the park or outside of a Home Depot. As long as you have written permission and your commander is aware, it's authorized. I would say you need a permission slip as well because it's a CAP activity outside the norm of the meeting, but really, you should have written parental permission as a cover-your-butt moment for the unit. I can see C/TSgt Snowflake's parents going "Why did you give my kid permission to skip lunch and play Air Force recruiter?!"

I strongly recommend you also coordinate this with your school, as they may have policies about it. Get permission is WRITING. Anything verbal has no record of it being said. "But Principal Duufinschmuck told me I could" won't apply when he doesn't back you up or forgot all about it.

I would also recommend that you not treat uniform wear as a lazy excuse. Explain to your unit that from the time it takes for you to go from school to the meeting, it's very difficult for you to have your uniform on by start time (IF that's the case---integrity). See if you can arrange that on these days, or for a certain time of the year, you'd like to change, which can result in you being unable to immediately participate whilst changing. Again, get it in writing.

Or, hustle it, change, and get it done. The "I don't want to carry it around" is nonsense. I get it. We all have to carry crap. See if you can put your stuff in the school office or with a teacher until you need to pick it up at the end of the day. Arrange it. It's not a trigonometric function to figure out how to go from school to a CAP meeting without carrying a ton of gear.

Above all, keep in mind that your uniform is not something that you wear because you're supposed to. That's the uniform you put on to represent Civil Air Patrol, and thus, in the bigger picture, the Air Force. It's a uniform, not your letterman jacket. Wear it proudly and because it's the right thing to do, not because the alternative is too much work so you're going to wear it and be "that guy."

[lordmonar]

SkyHornet.....that says "after a meeting"  the manual says nothing about before the meeting.

[spaatzmom]

Hello,
        So my squadron is a high school squadron and we meet right after school so would it be inappropriate/ not regulation to wear a uniform to school. I would just change before the meeting but I hate changing at school and it's finials week so we can't carry a bag around. Thanks!

I think there is some confusion among the replies you will receive based on the fact that there are so few squadrons that are affiliated with schools ie; 800 squadrons.  Wear of the uniform during school hours would depend on the agreement established during the chartering of the school squadron.  I assume this is more than just we meet at the school as opposed to being incorporated into the school.  I have seen both where I am.  The former is no different than the local whatever entity has the space and time slot available for us and the later being the school actively supports our existence at the school with school staff being CAP members and other physical support.

The only person(s) who can provide you with the proper clarification regarding this is your proper chain of command.

[Luis R. Ramos]

...activity except for travel time to and from such activities for which the uniform is specified...

Lord, they may have omitted the phrase "to a meeting" but the intention was to "not use the uniform more than one hour before or after except for travel time either to a meeting or after a meeting." See the bolded words in my quote...



Bottom line... as has been suggested... seek permission from your CC, or ask a teacher for storage then change, or get a locker...

[lordmonar]

...activity except for travel time to and from such activities for which the uniform is specified...

Lord, they may have omitted the phrase "to a meeting" but the intention was to "not use the uniform more than one hour before or after except for travel time either to a meeting or after a meeting." See the bolded words in my quote...



Bottom line... as has been suggested... seek permission from your CC, or ask a teacher for storage then change, or get a locker...

That may in fact be the intent....but that is not what the rule says.

But yes......bottom line...ask your commander.

[Hummingbird]

I wouldn't think wearing it to school would be a good idea, unless you have written permission and an activity, say recruiting(I believe I will be doing this at some point in the near future), but otherwise it wouldn't be a great idea. As many before me have said, you could end up getting singled out, and your uniform will be in sorry shape by the time you get to your meeting. Especially if you shine your shoes/boots(I'm surprised how many don't in my squadron), a single bad scuff can set you back an hour.

I'd suggest getting your uniform ready, maybe lay it out on your bed in the order in which you put it on, and practice getting ready quickly. For me, boot blousing used to be an issue, but I've found a strategy for that now. (I hold the blouser in place inside the leg of my uniform and pull the leg down, then tuck the bottom of the leg up and even it out.) I also wear my socks to school. because they aren't recognizable as a uniform item. And, back before I had a Vanguard(my squadron) T-shirt, I'd wear a black shirt on Fridays. All I had to do was change out of my pants, put on/blouse my boots, and grab my blouse & cover. The early prep cuts your time down by a lot more than you'd expect, actually. Scuffing your shoes, on the other hand, will ruin you.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Blousers are simple, and there are dozens of methods.

My method:
Raise pant up.
Put on blouser above boot.
Lower pant down.
Grab blouser through pant.
Pull up to knee.
Lower back down to top of boot.

[Hummingbird]

So you roll the blouser down to the boot, and over it, through the pant leg?

[Майор Хаткевич]

So you roll the blouser down to the boot, and over it, through the pant leg?

Just above the boot, but yes.

[Hummingbird]

So you roll the blouser down to the boot, and over it, through the pant leg?

Just above the boot, but yes.

I see. I'll give it a shot.

Off the top of your head, do you know if there is a series of good videos pertaining to the wear/care of the uniforms? It'd be great to send to anyone new.

[Майор Хаткевич]

http://www.capmembers.com/file.cfm/media/blogs/documents/New_Cadet_Guide_for_Web_AC680D33331C8.pdf

[TheSkyHornet]

I'd suggest getting your uniform ready, maybe lay it out on your bed in the order in which you put it on, and practice getting ready quickly. For me, boot blousing used to be an issue, but I've found a strategy for that now. (I hold the blouser in place inside the leg of my uniform and pull the leg down, then tuck the bottom of the leg up and even it out.) I also wear my socks to school. because they aren't recognizable as a uniform item. And, back before I had a Vanguard(my squadron) T-shirt, I'd wear a black shirt on Fridays. All I had to do was change out of my pants, put on/blouse my boots, and grab my blouse & cover. The early prep cuts your time down by a lot more than you'd expect, actually. Scuffing your shoes, on the other hand, will ruin you.

I do this for work. I go to a meeting that isn't exactly within my greatest time frame to get to. Having to be in the door at 1830 when I get out at 1700, or sometimes 1715, isn't ideal. But that's the hand I'm dealt. I wear my black undershirt under a company polo. Easy fix. All I have to do is swap out my pants and outer shirt.