Persuasive Speech Against School Uniform

“Congress shall make no law... prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech...”. This is what our first amendment speaks about. The freedom of speech and expression. Schools have been violating this law in the place of school dress codes. There should not be a dress code in school because it violates the first amendment, they do not support creativity and they are expensive.

Society is made up of different body types and uniforms are just that, uniform. Wearing something that does not fit right is extremely uncomfortable and distracting. If a student sitting in the classroom is trying to pay attention to a lesson, but has to constantly adjust their clothing in a worthless attempt to get comfortable, this can be extremely disruptive to the class as a whole because the teacher has to periodically remind the student to stop fidgeting and pay attention. The drawing of this attention to the student and their clothing can be detrimental to their self-confidence, and make them a target for other students to make fun of them. “The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opposes uniforms on the grounds that they violate students’ rights to freedom of expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.” (“School Uniforms”). How a student dresses will not directly improve their grades, and making them wear a uniform will curb their expression of individuality. Having to alter a uniform to fit body type can get extremely expensive.

Kids that are subdued to wearing uniforms have no individuality. Kids need to have individuality because it plays a major part in child development ( source one). Kids who wear uniforms at school are slowly getting ripped of their individuality just so they can become the perfect kid's schools want them to be ( source one). People might be getting judged, but it’s part of human life and kids need to learn how to deal with this stuff, if they wear uniforms and are technically forced to act the same as everyone else, they don’t learn nearly enough life lessons as they need to (source one).

It may be surprising to hear that school uniforms break the first amendment of the constitution but it is very true. The first amendment guarantees freedom on many things, one of them is Freedom of Expression. Freedom of Expression is about more than just saying what you want to say, it’s also about being able to express your ideologies and beliefs which are, unfortunately, hindered by school uniforms. Uniforms weren’t a common thing of the past because they were only enforced in private schools. That is, until 1987, when Maryland and Washington D.C implemented school uniforms in public schools. School uniforms should be banned because they promote conforming over individuality, they increase the amount of bullying, and they can affect a student’s self-image.

Some people also argue that mandatory uniforms could be considered a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution, located in the Bill of Rights (Hudson). People argue this because they feel that uniforms limit self expression, which is a coveted right by most people outside of America. “I’ll tell you; we’re proposing that everyone can only get along if everyone conforms to the same standards. It’s not a healthy lesson. The message should be conflict resolution no matter the physical appearance. In the real world, people do not all look the same” (Hoofnagle). Uniforms will not prepare a child for the future. They will make a rougher future for most children because they will not understand that people have the right to be unique, diverse, and to express their individuality.

School uniforms and dress codes are becoming a popular trend among schools. Most Students and some parents don’t agree with the enforcement with school uniforms, saying that uniforms are taking away self-expression in schools. But, school uniforms are not a negative thing to have. Yes, uniforms and some very strict dress codes limit what the students have to choose to wear to school every day, but it doesn’t limit them from learning which is the main reason they are in school. Some students treat school as a fashion show, so eliminating the size of wardrobe shifts the attention toward their school work. Although requiring students to wear school uniforms may violate their self-expression in some ways, a uniform is supposed to be looked

School uniforms, do you consider them as an obstruction of the 1st amendment of the US Constitution “Freedom of Expression”? How about having equality amongst every child at school age? This is the perfect age to teach them that no matter the social economic status from one child to another, nobody is any less or more then someone else. School uniforms would be an enormous step towards shaping a better future for our children. This would stop all the questions some parents get from their asking “why I can’t have H&M, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas or American Eagle clothes like other kids in school”. The freedom of dressing how anyone wants is what every teenager wants and does, but this sometimes causes tension amongst them. I will be explaining

Uniforms have been around for centuries, from back in the day when women had to wear dresses or skirts and men had to wear pants. To now where students and employees have to wear certain pieces of clothing. People dress to express themselves, schools tell their students to be who they are and to be proud; however, when the student tries to do so they are sent home or held in the office which not only takes away their rights to express themselves, but takes them out of class. According to Friedrichs, “A shocking number of students are actually sent home or suspended for breaking dress code, which means even more time out of class.” A school's job is to prepare children for their futures, that can be quite hard when the student is not there to learn. Dress codes can be overwhelming to maintain. A student's wardrobe isn’t going to be full of polos and khakis because they most likely do not wear polos and khakis outside of school. Dress code should not be as strict, hoodies should be allowed, tank tops should be

First, school uniforms take away the students freedom of expression. The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees that all individuals have the right to express themselves freely. This points out, that by making everyone wear the same clothes, it takes away expressing who they are. Your clothes say a lot about who you are as a person and what personality you have and when you take that away, you take away the chance to express yourself.

Why do we need uniforms? Most student have their own style, but a common argument against school uniforms is that they take away the students right to show their sense of style, creativity and culture. Yes, school uniforms may limit what the students have to wear, but he/she can still have their own ways of self-expression in many forms. Students can still express their style of choice by what shoes they pick, color of the shoe laces, how he or she styles their hair, what accessories they add, jacket they wear or socks; there are many ways. Uniforms are still versatile where they will not be breaking the dress code policy the school has set. Just because a student can’t wear the most latest Polo ,Lacrosse , or Hollister shirt or jeans to school doesn’t mean that his/her rights are taken away. School should be a place where Children come to learn, not to scope out the latest fashion trend. Outside of school, kids can wear and show off their unique sense of style.

Have you ever had to wear a school uniform? Did you you love it, or hate it? I’m here today to explain my stance on school uniforms. I believe that having a school uniform would be a good thing for multiple reasons. The first being how it would completely and utterly eradicate the issue of dress code. The next reason is how it would be able to create a more focused learning environment by eliminating clothing distractions. The most important reason in my mind however, is how it could drastically increase student safety at school. Now I will go a bit more in depth as I explain these reasons…

Today, many schools around the world enforce uniforms, requiring students to wear specific clothing. School uniforms, which was first established in 16th century England, are a topic of much debate in the public school system of the United States. Many people feel that uniforms reduce competition among students and bring a sense of unity in school. People who are against school uniforms think that they prevent students from expressing themselves and inhibits creativity. Many students dislike school uniforms because uniforms can be viewed as a violation of their rights, while others benefit from uniforms because it relieves the stress of picking what to wear to school. Although school uniforms do have its benefits, they also limit

Wearing uniform can add problems into a student’s life. Students would be more often picked on and bullied. A study conducted by experts from Texas Southern University showed that bullying incidents increased by as much as 12%, after the implementation of mandatory uniform wearing. Bullying mostly occurs because of what you wear, but now bullies find out other ways to show that they are better. Schools would think that if they implement uniforms, bullying would stop, but instead, it doesn’t stop, and it increases bullying. Uniforms could make the student have negative thoughts about themselves. Professor Dave Anderson stated “Students have different weights, body types, and heights. Whenever one looks at himself in the mirror, he depreciates his self-image because he feels like he doesn’t look his best” If the student doesn’t like their appearance, their attitude could reflect off it, for example if they are overweight, they might not like their appearance, so then, that causes them to think negatively about themselves, which wouldn’t be good for their health. These problems could disrupt the students learning process, and it could also have negative impacts on the student.

Supporters of uniforms would argue that without consistency and equality there can be interruption in the learning process. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution gives all people the right to express themselves freely. We are told to be ourselves and to not conform to the ways of society, by expressing ourselves. Then we are told that we cannot be ourselves and have to listen to how others tell us we are supposed to be. How are we supposed to know what to do and how “to be ourselves” when the tables are being constantly turned

The first major reason for not wearing school uniforms is, it forces a student to conceal his or her individuality. To many people, it appears that the school system is trying to strip away this individuality on purpose, but now is the time that the school should be embracing it and helping the student become the person they are meant to become. “According to opponents of uniforms, even preschoolers should have input into their wardrobe, and the need to encourage personality, confidence, and independence grows more important as the student becomes older” (Chen). Because of this lack of self-expression, students feel their first amendment is being violated and most people would agree, which causes the school to look bad. Another way of looking at it is they are forcing students to become on mold, or one certain way of being. However, the problem with making them one is, no matter how they look they will still have their own individual personality traits that will come out in the end. If forced to wear the uniforms, many students would express these traits by adding things to their uniform such as brightly colored gems for girls and different