Opposing School Uniforms Essay examples

The debate about public school uniforms in America is an issue that has been around for a very long time. This issue was even mentioned by President Bill Clinton in a previous State of the Union address in 1996. In his 1996 State of the Union Address, President Clinton decreed,” I challenge all of our schools to teach character education, to teach good values and good citizenship and if it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms” (Clinton 1996). Public schools requiring mandatory uniforms for their students are a major topic as it deals with moral and economic concerns about how America’s public schools are operated.

Uniforms have swept through the world, taking over schools, and restraining students in outfit choices. Though many people are for uniforms, many, however, are not. With a constant debate on whether uniforms are needed, I stand objectified against the use of uniforms, because research proves uniforms have a negative impact. Not only are the students negatively affected by uniforms, but so are the parents. So why do administrators put such a restraint on the clothing students wear? The short answer; they want to eliminate many of the problems that come along without the use of uniforms. Instead, more problems were created in its place, yet school boards are still blind to the cries of those against it. With a world so against change, open mindedness, and lack of freedom, I plan to examine the ‘side effects’ of wearing uniforms. Research has shown uniforms are very costly, does not allow freedom of expression, and does not help in the long run to further a student’s learning.

In the article “Do uniforms make schools better”, Marian Wilde states that in the past decade, school, parents and students had clashed over the issue of regulating student attire. In the 1980s, public schools were often compared to Catholic schools for no reason. So some of the public school decided to adopt the school uniform policy. In 1996, President Clinton provided momentum to the school uniform movement in his 1996 State of the Union Speech. President Clinton said “ If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms.” There is some pros and cons for having school uniforms. Some pros for school uniforms would be to help identify intruders easily, prevent gangs from forming on campus, and increase a sense of belonging and school pride. Some cons for school uniforms would be violating a student’s right to freedom of expression, making a student a target for bullies from other school, and it’s an unfair additional expense for parents. School uniforms shouldn’t be required at schools, especially at Kailua High School.

The idea of uniforms being required for public school students has been a widely controversial topic in the recent past. In the 2003-2004 school year, only one in eight public schools required students to wear uniforms (ProConorg Headlines). In the 2013-2014 school year, one in five public schools required students to wear uniforms (ProConorg Headlines). This essay will discuss the reasons that uniforms restrict the individuality of students, burdens families that cannot afford two sets of clothes for each of their children (Farrell), and serve little to none purpose in benefitting the education of students. Uniforms are meant for the workforce, not school children.

“If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms” This statement from Bill Clinton was what started a movement toward using uniforms in-state school in the United States in 1996. Since then school uniforms have become a common thing in the school system in the United States. There is no doubt that school uniforms can lead to loss of students’ rights to express themselves and that school uniforms will not generally stop bullying even though they might increase student’s safety.

Violence in schools is a big problem. Former President Bill Clinton thinks so during his recent state of the Union address he said: “public schools should be allowed to require uniforms if it would mean teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets” (“Will School…” 1). They believe that wearing the uniform makes quite a bit of a difference in how students will behave (“Will School…”2). If the student wears a uniform to school other than their “gang clothes” it will protect the other students from getting hurt. Violence has gone down in the schools with dress code and people have been impressed by the difference (“Will School…” 2). Schools that do not require the dress code for school uniforms should look at the difference of violence and see that it has decreased with them. “Reports have placed pressure on schools and politicians to act quickly before the situation gets out of control” (Wilkins 1). In 1994 CA Long Beach Unified School District voted 81% (4,079 votes) said yes that school uniforms help prevent gang violence (Hamilton 32). While the rest of the school district said no and that students should be allowed to express themselves through their clothing (Hamilton 32) People say the only down fall with having the uniform are the students can not express themselves with their own clothes they want to wear. Unfortunately many children today wear baggy clothes to

“If it means that the schoolrooms will be more orderly, more disciplined,” President Clinton said, “and that our young people will learn to evaluate themselves by what they are on the inside instead of what they’re wearing on the outside, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms.” President Clinton is referring to the outfits or sets of standardized clothes that are worn primarily for an educational institution, usually in primary and secondary schools in various countries. When used, they form the basis of a school’s dress code, which is a set of rules, usually written and posted specifying the required manner of dress at a school. It began when schools had issues with grades and behavioral problems, but they didn’t want uniforms because it infringed upon individuality. The commotion began when the uniform movement began nearly four years ago when Long Beach, California became the nation’s first public school district to require elementary and middle school students to wear uniforms. Since then, public schools from east to west have debated whether they’re beneficial or not, which has caused the controversy to heat up significantly. Even though requiring uniforms in public schools have been controversial throughout history, it continues to be an area of debate for school communities because research shows that uniform policies do provide benefits to schools, but there are also disadvantages that create unfavorable conditions

The argument whether uniforms should be implemented in school has been debated over the last few decades. By implementing a uniform policy within schools would help reduce the rise of violent crimes. In today’s high schools, too many innocent youths become fatalities due to gang warfare that has spread into the school system. Many parents feel that if a uniform policy was implemented , the spread of gang warfare and the idea that children have to have name brand clothing would decrease drastically. However others are worried that this policy would infringe on students First Amendment Rights with expressing themselves. Many parents are worried that the uniforms will cost too much and they will only

President Bill Clinton caught word of the new trend of school uniforms on January 23, 1996 prepared the State of the Union Address at the United States Capitol where he addressed the subject. In this speech he, “challenge all our schools to teach character education, to teach good values and good citizenship. And if it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms”. President Clinton called for the children of the nation to evaluate themselves on who they are and not what they look like on the exterior. He acknowledged Long Beach public schools for wearing uniforms and even visited the students. The New York Times reported on the President’s speech saying he is “putting discipline and learning back into our schools”. Interestingly enough, President Clinton was first introduced to the idea of mandatory school uniforms from the First Lady. The New York Times reported that this was in no way mandatory for all states to adopt and this

School uniforms have been debated in the public school system for what seem like fifty years. Understand the constructive views that most administrations envision, you start to recognize the goals associated with having students wear them; however, there is a flip side. The unenthusiastic views that are associated with school uniforms present an equally intriguing question. Should schools incorporate them into the curriculum or not? Who opposes it and why it may be used to insure our children’s future. All views will be presented for you to make the decision.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton stated in his State of the Union Address “If it means that the school rooms will be more orderly and more disciplined and that our young people will learn to evaluate themselves by what they are on the inside, instead of what they’re wearing on the outside, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms.” School uniform should mandatory or not; this argument is one of the most important debates for the past decades. As stated in the first amendment, all Americans have the right to express their own opinion without any fear of punishment. Nevertheless, this value is not appropriate for schools. School uniforms have several advantages, however, following are the major benefits. These benefits are included; school uniform makes students’ lives simple and stress-free, makes students disciplined and focused on their studies also less peer pressure and bullying also promote school safety, and develop unity as well equality among the students.

Proponents of mandatory school uniforms claim that data and evidence support their assertions that uniforms improve discipline and reduce crime. While the positive reports emerging from some school districts with uniform policies seem to lend credence to this position, upon closer examination, flaws begin to appear. In Long Beach, California, the first district to have a widespread mandatory uniform policy in the public schools, the initial reports concerning drops in crime and discipline were astonishing. Assault dropped by sixty-seven percent, vandalism by eighty-two percent, and robbery by thirty-five percent. Overall crime was reduced by seventy-three percent the first year the policy was in place

A young female student tears an envelope open and skims through it. The note told that the town was going to vote on whether school uniforms should be issued or not in schools. Then, she swiftly darts for her parent’s bedroom, swerving through her four siblings in the process, to alert her mother and father of the newly received letter. She worried if the town agreed to add in school uniforms, for her parents could not afford five school uniforms, they would be stuck in poverty. Her family was on the poor side and had several children, so they would have to pay for multiple sets of these assigned attires. This is the case for most families; school uniforms do as much suitable as damaging. These academic suits were originally associated with the upper-class universities, and they were initially used in England; the required outfits were instated due to restrictive dress codes. Researchers claim that these uniforms do not actually assist the issues they are perceived to. Although uniforms create fairgrounds between classmates, they can also increase the amount of violent attacks on others. Overall, school uniforms should not be implemented in schools because they take away a student’s freedom of expression, are not cost-effective and may increase the number of violent attacks by one.

It is a belief that school uniforms teach students to respect their learning environment and behave themselves, and, therefore improving discipline. However, that assumption isn’t entirely correct. Researchers have actually found that school uniforms don’t make students better behaved. According to a study of more than 4,500 students, those who wore a school uniform did not have fewer behavior problems or better attendance. Forcing students to wear uniforms lead to more problems and misbehavior instead of encouraging discipline. Students could get into trouble if they did not wear their uniforms correctly. Many kids in today’s society cannot stand the thought of someone telling them what to do, especially what to wear. Instead of encouraging respect, uniforms may cause rebellions. For example, in 2009, a group of students at John A. Ferguson Senior High School rebelled against their school uniforms. Instead of following their school uniform requirements, the students wore what they thought would be a better school uniform to school. Not only uniforms don’t earn schools the respect from its students, but it may also lead to more problems.

The issue of whether or not school uniforms are a necessity in today’s society has been a long standing debate. However, it did not come onto the national scene until 1996 when then President Bill Clinton spoke of the matter in his annual State of the Union Address. Citing the Long Beach city school district in California, Clinton spoke of the positive effects of uniform implementation, including: decreased drug cases, sex offenses, violent crimes and fights.