Should School Uniforms Be Allowed In Public Schools?

With gang activity, strict dress codes, and bullying becoming more relevant, the idea of school uniforms crosses the mind of many school districts across the country. Even though it may stop students from expressing themselves it would make it easier for staff members to enforce these strict dress codes, reduce the amount of bullying, and overall make schools easier. Which is why schools should have uniforms.

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.

Uniforms have been used for centuries for things like sports, military affairs, and to help identify someone that is affiliated with a group or an organization. One place they should not be used is in public schools. In this day in age uniforms are still being argued and could still appear is school around the country causing problems. When I was in middle school I had uniforms for about four years and it made me hate school even more. None of the benefits that administration said we would get from uniforms ever materialized. They said it would put an end to bullying and we would still have some kind of freedom when it came to picking accessories. The uniforms were costly for my parents and as a student it made it hard for me to express myself. With that being said middle school students should not be required to wear school uniforms.

While in a perfect world many educators say that school uniforms are an asset but I have to say school uniforms are detrimental to the students. School uniforms are a financial hardship on low-income families, make students a target for bullying, infringe on a students’ freedom of expression rights and they teach students a negative lesson about conformity.

Have you ever had to wear a school uniform? School uniforms are plain and they have no personality. Who would want to wear something so plane? School uniforms should not be allowed in schools because they have no individuality, school uniforms can increase bullying, and finally they are so expensive.

Should school uniforms be required in public schools? There are many reasons to get school uniforms. It is proven through statistics that school uniforms may decrease the amount of crime but also increase student safety. With uniforms fighting in schools dropped by 51%, sexual offenses depleted by 74% and drug possession went down by 69% (M. Sue Stanley). Student uniforms are all the same, which helps the students and teacher conserve precious class time by not having to re-enforce the standard dress code. Having the same clothes as everyone else can be upsetting but, TeenVogue stated “there are tons of ways to amp up your standard issue getup” (Teen Vogue).

School uniforms delay a student’s transition into becoming an adult, so uniforms should not be entailed. According to PublicSchoolReview.com, “Students that are forced to wear uniforms are ill-prepared to become an adult that has to choose things for themselves” (ProCon.org). Everyone knows that adulthood involves making your own choices. All throughout high-school, students that get to choose what they wear already know what clothing they like and what they feel they look best in. However, with a uniform policy, students would then have to experiment with new clothing and could potentially waste money right away.

Do you think kids should have to wear school uniforms? I don’t think so I mean what the fun in that? Kids wearing the same clothes over again and not being able to express our personality with our clothes. Kids should have the rights wearing what they want. Kids want to feel comfortable. Kids want to be happy and not have to wash their uniforms every night just for school.

School uniforms is the key to a bigger, better future. The basic clothing procedure phases out many types of harassment and creates a safe learning environment. Uniforms take away harsh borders that separate classmates and create school spirit. The positive impact school uniform have on students is an overlooked opportunity we must be informed about to create the next successful generation.

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.

School uniforms are a very diverse topic today. Many people people believe that they are very beneficial, but others may argue that they are irrelevant. Schools implementing strict dress codes, or uniforms, is a good decision because it prevents students from bullying each other based on appearance, and it may help some families financial situations.

The first point of why all public schools should adopt a school uniform policy is uniforms save the family money. In 1999 the NPD group conducted a survey and found that families whose children went to a school with a uniform policy spent $85 less than families whose children did not. (Pike, 1999). This is sixteen years later after that survey was conducted so the figure today will be in the hundreds as status symbol clothes prices are on the rise every year. There

As aforementioned, uniforms are very beneficial for a multitude of reasons. The first being how dress code issues are completely eliminated through uniforms. I mean, even here uniforms and dress code issues have been brought up a ton! I was in honors civics last trimester and we had to do an issue project about problems at this school, and how we could fix it. We had to present these things in front of Mr.Farley and a couple school administrators. Something that was majorly brought up was dress code, and how unfair it is between the genders. Think about that! Even here dress code is a big problem, and if it’s an issue here, then imagine how bad it must be at some other schools.

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.

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.