School Dress Code Essay

In 1987, a public school in Baltimore, Maryland became the first to instill a school uniform policy in the United States. This idea of all students dressing alike spread throughout the country, and by 1994 a school district in Long Beach, CA became the first to require a whole school district to wear school uniforms (Background of the Issue - School Uniforms - ProCon.org). Today, an average of 23% of public and private schools enforce a school uniform system (School Uniform Statistics). But this change in dress code policy did not come about without controversy. Although some will argue uniforms promote safety, focus, and an even playing field in schools, school uniform policies oppress student’s freedom of expression, advocate for conformity, and cause more problems than they fix.

At School Z, the principal, Mr. Anderson, chose to meet with me individually. I had offered for any and all administrators at the school to be interviewed, but he felt he dealt most specifically with the content of the interview. He greeted me at the front of the school and led me to his office, where we had a similar discussion to School A, followed by a viewing of students during passing period. Mr. Anderson was a tenured educator, having been in public schools for many decades, all of which were at locations with traditional dress codes. Initially, we discussed the numbers involved in dress codes: frequency of violations, how many, and what percentage were male and female. He said that throughout the year, only a handful were the average, but a majority of the violations took place within the first few months of the school term. It was during this time, he believed, that it was important to be strict with students to maintain order and compliance for the remainder of the school year. When I pushed for a number, even an estimate, of the number of referrals, he said he was unsure, but that over the course of the year, it would probably only amount to five percent of the overall totals. Of the referrals, he believed they were evenly split among male and female students, though he did believe that with boys, it was more difficult for them to violate because they did not attune themselves to fads the way female students did. “As Spring comes,

To some, arguing over student dress code seems trivial and useless. To others, it goes deeper than that. Dress code might seem like the typical “first world problem”, but to the average high school student, gaining the freedom ‘no dress code’ grants is incredible. The fact of the matter is, the rigid enforcement of student dress code has gone too far in today 's society and dehumanizes us as citizens. Although school dress code attempts to promote modesty and protection, it also reinforces gender inequality, smothers individualism, is unconstitutional, and should not be enforced in public schools.

Today, many schools around the world require students to wear uniforms. Many people feel that uniforms reduce competition among students and bring a sense of unity within the school. People who are against school uniforms think that they prevent students from expressing themselves by obstructing individuality. Many students dislike school uniforms because uniforms can be seen as a reversal of their rights, while others agree with uniforms because it relieves the stress of choosing what to wear to school. As a consequence of the limitations to self-expression, school uniforms create a sense of equality among students. I believe that students should wear uniforms because school uniforms can reduce bullying in schools. Should students of public schools be allowed to weigh in on decisions regarding clothing or should all students be required to wear a uniform? School uniforms are the better option for many reasons. School uniform makes students and parents happier because it can make students’ lives simpler, they make them feel equal and can also help distinguish students from other people and Finally, it can reduce bullying in schools.

Young girls across the world are constantly being sexualized and told to cover up their bodies. Girls starting from middle school through high school are told to meet ridiculous standards that are required to be appropriate to attend public school. Girls who are forced to change or go home based on these absurd demands are being told that putting their education on pause, is more important that being comfortable in their clothes they are wearing. A boys wears a shirt to school with a bikini model on it, and nothing is said. A girl wears a tanktop on a 90 degree day, and she is pulled out of class. Standards like this are interrupting the education of many young women across the world, and they need to be stopped. Ruining self esteem for

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.

Have you ever been excluded from learning because of what you wore to school? In most schools, dress codes are set in place to provide a better learning space for all students. Having a dress code can oppress students because students are given the impression that they should not express themselves. Not all families can afford the clothes that abide by the rules. For example, some students don 't have the means to pay for new clothes, so they have to use hand-me-down clothing. Enforcing a dress code can lead to more problems in the long run because of the exceptions made for students who are athletes and cheerleaders. Many school faculty members including teachers and administrators think that keeping a dress code will keep students looking appropriate while learning, but this idea is wrong because it keeps students from expressing themselves and, the dress code singles out women.

Dress codes is a standard of clothing for school, office, club, or restaurant. Schools have dress codes to promote professionalism and a distraction-free learning environment. More standards of dressings are set in place for girls than males. This causes an unequal amount of bias towards women and sexism to occur in the dress code.

An idea discuss by the authors, Carroll W. Mitchell and John C. Knechtle, in this article Uniforms in Public Schools and the First Amendment: A Constitutional Analysis. Carroll W. Mitchell and John C. Knechtle debate whether not the children have constitutional rights under the First Amendment. It is also gives prudence according to the court case that children do not have the same rights as an adult. Therefore, they do not have the same rights under the first amendment. Their freedom of speech is limited according to the court case Dawson v. Hillsborough City, Fla. School Board 1971 governing school to protect the welling being of the adolescent education. According to this court case, children do not have rights as an adult but suggest that the child should be protected and guided according to school policy to provide a safe and productive educational environment. This case also suggest as interpreted by the Supreme Court that freedom of speech can be altered when the government is protecting the child's best interest as providing a safe environment and prolific and positive education to promote the youths well-being. A Uniform dress code has always been in schools, public and private. The debate with uniform in public schools really intensified with President Bill Clinton's presidential executive order in 1996. President Clinton would encourage the US Department of Education to make available a manual on how to implement uniforms in public

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 should be a learning environment, not a fashion show. Students shouldn’t obsess over the clothes they wear. Dress codes are beneficial to schools because they help to prevent inappropriate clothing choices, provide less distractions, and they eliminate social and class barriers. Dress codes put a stop to inappropriate clothing. It puts a stop to students wearing

In schools students should have some limits on what they can wear and say. Even thought there should be limits it shouldn't be so strict on the limits to where the student aren't able to have any free speech in school. When there are to many limits in the school that may cause a problem as well like no one having individuality. If the school does have limits on what their student may wear they shouldn't have a lot of rules on that but if they do they should have a few like no swear words or inappropriate symbols on the clothing the student and staff wear. If the school has clothing rule the student shouldn't get punished (in trouble) unless their clothing is distracting other students from education (learning). If the school feels that it is necessary to have limit on things like this they shouldn't have to

For years, schools all over the nation have been debating whether or not a dress code should be enforced. With many different opinions and thoughts about this topic, there is evidence to support both sides. Students, parents, and teachers all have opinions and ideas about dress code, but when it all comes down to it there is one simple question: Should schools have dress codes? After reviewing different sources, obvious results have shown that dress codes and uniforms have done more good than harm and have improved many different aspects of the learning environment.

Dress codes have been in act since as early as the 1960s (Uerling 1). Donald F. Uerling provides a detailed article titled “Student Dress Codes” about different legal issues that have aroused because of dress codes. He mentions how constitution has limitations on school authority, and courts tend to work in favor of the students as long as the students are not pushing the boundaries. In his article, Uerling writes, “Many dress codes not only have provisions that regulate modes of dress, but also have provisions that implicate both explicit and symbolic forms of expression. The former are more easily justified than the latter” (Uerling 38). Basically, Uerling is showing that dress codes do help regulate forms of dress, but it also strips students away from a form of expression. Most students cannot really express themselves in any other way but clothing, yet school districts do not allow them to express themselves through clothing. All students should be allowed to wear what they choose to wear as long as it is not something that proves to be harmful such as curse words or gang related

The ringing of the alarm clock that is placed conveniently beside your bed wakes you. The sound startles your brain into getting out of your warm, cozy bed. It is time to go to school. You must wake up now in order to make it on time. If you are late again, your teacher will probably give you that nasty look of dismissal. What are you going to wear?