School Uniforms Will NOT Reduce School Violence Essay example

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.

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.

As a society we value the individual choices that we are able to decide upon in our everyday life. School uniforms have a negative effect on students, due to the lack of individuality and self-image that they are able to express. Therefore passing student policies requiring school uniforms is misleading as it creates more issues than it solves. Students should feel they are different from everyone else and have to freedom to act the way they want and wear what they want. Enforcing school uniforms does not affect academic situations in any way for uniforms to be mandatory. Schools need to re-think their decision on school uniform policies for the mental and physical well-being of their students.

Is the absence of school uniforms leading to an up rise of violence between children in public schools? According to the National School Safety Center’s Report on School Associated Violent Deaths, “Since the 1992-1993 school year, two-hundred seven were shooting victims” (Kelly n pag). According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), “10% of all public schools had one or more serious violent crimes (murder, rape, sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery), and most of the serious violent crimes occurred in the middle and high schools” (Kelly n pag).

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.

People say you are what you wear. Well, uniforms are expensive and are a violation of human rights, even though it’s professional and sober clothing, they don’t allow students to express who they are, so how are they supposed to be what they wear? People say it prevents bullying, but bullying can happen without uniform. School uniform promotes conformity over individuality. They are difficult to enforce in public schools. It is more money to pay for uniforms and normal clothes outside of school. There really isn’t a uniform in real life like working if you work as a janitor at a school it doesn’t matter what you wear it matters that you get the job done.

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.

One of the greatest controversies that is spreading throughout high schools in the United States is parents and their children against the enforcement of their school’s uniform policy. More schools have been adopting uniform policies within the past decade. Rules contained in the policy that are implemented range from wearing certain types of tops (shirts) in specified colors to students being required to tuck in their shirts. In the past, uniforms were exclusively for students who attended private schools because they were “well-off”, but now uniforms are being seen more frequently in public schools on students of all economic levels. Having gone through a school system that considered adopting a uniform policy, I would have to press

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.

Ever wonder what it would look like to have all students wearing the same white polo shirt, black pants, and a district sweater walking in the hallway? Nowadays, public school and many districts are discussing the possibilities of enforcing the uniform policy. In most places, many private schools already require students to have their mandatory uniforms; however, there are only a few public schools adopting this mandatory school-uniform polices as one of their enrollment requirements. The reason why not all public schools participated was because people believe that they are violating the freedom of choice when enforcing this mandatory uniform policy; yet problems

Students believe that the way they are dressed is more important than the grades they make. The students with less money, that can’t buy all the newest clothes, tend to not go to school as much, because they won’t fit in. There for students in schools with uniform will have more time to focus on more important things, like school work. With uniforms students don’t have to go to the mall every week looking for new clothes to wear. Also if a school has no uniforms students will feel that they need to have a certain look to fit in, and many will be ridiculed if they don’t achieve this “look.”

Uniforms maintain equality within the school. Students should not have to worry about peer pressure when it comes to their clothes. When everyone is dressed the same, concerning about how you look isn't so important. A study in the U.S Department of Education shows that, by wearing a school uniform student's sense of security raised 41% and over ¾ of teachers agreed that uniforms were the reason for that happened. Students feel much more secure in school since they cannot be victims of bullies for being dressed in a certain way. For example, it would be much more difficult for a bully to make fun of how students are dressed especially if they are dressed exactly the same. According to the Department of Education in the U.S students sense of belonging also increased, this is because when students are dressed like their peers it makes them feel more equitable, valuable and included. Academically this is important for students because if students are feeling unhappy and excluded they will not be interested in their studies or even coming to school. Some people might argue that uniforms do not spread equality because it takes away the right of expressing their individuality. While that may be true individuality is what distinguishes us from others, but clothing isn’t the only way to do that. You can express yourself through what you do for example sports,music,art,etc. This is beneficial to students because they won’t judge others by their looks but by their personality. As for equality it means equal, which is a key reason to have uniforms because it allows all students to look and feel equal. In Junior high it is hard enough to go through your peers judging you for

School Uniforms are being pushed more and more in schools, but what is commonly thought of when the words “school uniform” is said? For most people the picture of children in the same colored uniforms gathered in front of a Catholic Church or a private school is displayed in their mind. This picture is one of the many problems with school uniforms. Instead of being seen as an individual, students are seen as just another kid in a uniform attending a fancy private school. The students cannot develop the self-expression that is crucial to their development at this age. Uniforms are thought to create a more protected campus and learning environment, however, if someone wants to bully someone else, clothes are not going to stop them. The cost, which is usually seen as a pro, can actually be more than people anticipate. As one can see, in the best interest of any student, school uniforms should not be made part of the dress code.