Should School Uniforms Be Taken Away?

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.

In fact, the message that school uniforms say to students is conformity. Clothes are a vital way for students to express themselves. In a sense, a student’s personality is represented by the types of clothes that they wear. The article “ School Uniforms Should Not Be Mandatory”, explains how school uniforms “could possibly be civil rights violations” since they force everyone to be in the same outfit (Norwhich Bulletin). This in turn can have negative effects on a student’s morale. It can move them to accept conformity rather than expressing their true personalities. Another thing that the article pointed out is that “every child has a right to a public education unconditioned upon complying with a uniform policy.” (Norwhich Bulletin). No student should have to be forced to wear uniforms in order to receive their

Student should be free to wear whatever they want. Students have shown how strong and considerate they are of others. Students have learned to not judge a book by its cover. School uniforms never really capture the full creativity of a student. Students need to be thinking of their future kids and if they want their kids to wear uniforms. Many students have complained about school uniforms because they feel like their not themselves. Students love to be free and not told what to wear. The parents have even complained about the school uniforms in many ways. The parents have said school uniforms are way too expensive and don’t want to pay as much. Parents do not feel it is right that their kids can not express themselves because of school uniforms. Parents want to see their kids grow up with creativity and imagination. Therefore school uniforms should be abolished from

Another thing that schools have seen changes in is violence in school such as: Long Beach, California, drew national attention as the first public-school district to adopt mandatory school uniforms. After just one year, dramatic decreases in violence and discipline problems, as well as higher test scores, were reported (Wilkins). Students are less prone to bullying and violence and also perform better at school when they are not judged by what they are wearing and making a better school environment. Theft is a big problem in many schools around America, introducing school uniforms would help decrease theft from students by other students. For example, if someone wore a nice, expensive jacket to school and it got stolen from them by another student then this would be an issue, having school uniforms would help to demolish theft from school.

Uniforms violate our first amendment. It doesn’t let students be themselves in the way they want to dress. There are pros about having uniform, but there are more cons because clothes don’t break rules. Students should not be required to wear school uniform.

First of all, mandatory school uniforms deny students rights, stated in the U.S constitution. In the first Amendment, it states, “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech. Recently, a student at Riverside Middle School, wore a pink shirt with a message on it that stated, “ #TeamTanya” He was spreading awareness for his mother, who had breast cancer. With school uniforms, this student would not be able to spread awareness for his mother. Not only it would be against what the U.S.A. stands for, it would be uncivilized and send a bad message to other countries around the world.

Uniforms should not be required because they don’t stop bullying and intellectual decline. A uniform being put on a person doesn’t affect their grades because a uniform doesn’t change how one's mind works. When one school was required to wear a uniform for a semester and wasn’t required to wear a uniform for another semester and then the semester grades of students were looked at, in the article “Back to School Shoppers Debate” by Courtenay Edelhart she states “The transition didn’t affect grades” (Edelhart). Why do schools continuously still think that a uniform is a solution to their problems? The real reason is the schools think that uniforms will work as a band-aid for low grades, but according to this research that didn’t work. Another thing that schools want uniforms for is to decrease disciplinary problems and gang relations. They think that by making students wear uniforms they will not fight. Again a uniform doesn’t change how the brain works. In an article called “School Uniforms” it states “Several academic research studies, they point out, have found that uniforms have no quantifiable effect on academic achievement, attendance, or discipline” (School Uniforms 1). The study was done several times which clearly shows that the first study wasn’t a fluke. This study found things on discipline issues, and it backed up research on academic issues. Both of these studies suggest that a uniform will not help the growing violence and academic levels in schools.

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.

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.

School uniforms also serve little to no purpose in benefiting the education of children around America. A uniform does not help a student learn things that they need to know. A uniform does not help a student study, take notes, or make flash cards. They bring no educational value to the table of learning. According to many educators and experts, “Uniforms do not improve academics, behavioral and social outcomes, or reduce discrimination or crime” (Farrell). So if a uniform cannot help a student increase their knowledge or grow as a person, why make students wear them?

Some schools are for uniforms. Uniforms eliminate individuality. The first amendment of the U.S Constitution guarantees that all individuals have the right to express themselves freely. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, allowing students to choose their clothing is sending a powerful message that students are maturing and they are relying on self determination.

Have you ever wondered how it would be like for all schools to have uniforms? Or how would it feel like to have to wear the same thing every day to school and not have to worry about what you're going to wear? Or even worry about following the school dress code? Well schools all around the world have uniforms and some don’t, but should your school have uniforms or would you keep your privilege of picking what you want to wear under the regulations of dress code? Here are some reasons why or why not school uniforms should be aloud.

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.

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 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