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School Uniforms
in
Public Schools
Lindsay S. Rogers
School uniforms have been a controversial issue for many years, but until recently have only been implemented in sporadic local occurrences. Uniforms have always gone hand and hand with private schools, but now that these school uniform policies are starting to spill over into the public school system educators, staff, students and their parents have all began to take sides. I believe that school uniforms in public schools infringe on the rights of the students, interfere with their natural process of experimenting with their identity, and act as band-aids to other more serious social problems.
One of the main concerns over implementing school uniforms in public schools is that they infringe on the student’s First Amendment right to free expression. “The clash between students’ rights of free expression and the responsibility of public-school authorities to provide a safe learning environment is the central issue” (Siegel 3). However, if the authorities are just looking for a way to provide a safe learning environment for the students by controlling what the students wear there is an alternative to uniforms. Many schools have a dress code that regulates what their students wear, but does not control what they wear. This way obscene, vulgar or insulting clothing can not be worn, but the students still have enough breathing room to express themselves in their style of dress. Likewise, “Any dress restriction that infringes on a student’s First Amendment rights must be justified by a showing that the student’s attire materially disrupts school operations, infringes on the rights of others at the school, or otherwise interferes with any basic educational mission of the school” (Siegel 3). So, I believe that restricting what is worn is a far better choice than controlling what is worn entirely, for example, school uniforms. Moreover, implementing this kind of dress code will take little to no effort from schools because the vast majority of public schools already have a dress-code.
Additionally, school uniforms infringe on the students’ natural process of experimenting with their identities. As a future art teacher I believe that it is essential that students have an outlet to express themselves, and their style of clothing is one very important way of doing so. This outlet then leads to an adolescent experimenting with their individual identity. However, uniforms stall this process and force individual students to conform to the entire student body rather than dressing in a way that helps them find their own identity. One mother stated that, “My daughter likes to be individual, to wear what she wants. She doesn’t want to have to wear what everyone else is wearing. It doesn’t make her feel good about herself; it doesn’t make her feel special” (Education World 1). Also, it is important for every young person to feel good about themselves. This can lead to a high self-esteem which will be extremely important to them as they become young adults and are faced with many life altering decisions.
Finally, school uniforms act as band-aids to other more serious social problems. “Some people think that making kids wear uniforms to reform schools is the equivalent of painting the walls of a crumbling building—merely cosmetic” (Education World 2). In other words, administrators and public officials are treating school uniforms as a solution to bigger social problems. For example, Education Commission of the States argues that, “implementing school uniforms will diminish differences among socioeconomic levels” (Education Commission 1). However, uniforms alone cannot blur social class lines because other items can be used to convey status, such as jewelry, brands of shoes, backpacks and bikes. Moreover, wealthier students may own every uniform accessory while others own the most basic. School uniforms are even said to lower substance abuse, behavioral problems and school attendance. However, sociologists David Brunsma and Kerry Rockquemore discovered that, “requiring students to wear uniforms had no direct effect on substance abuse, behavioral problems, or school attendance” (Education World 3). They used data on approximately 5,000 U.S. sophomores who were part of a 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Study at the University of Alabama to reach their results. Therefore, the debate over uniforms is a diversion. “Attractive, modern and safe school buildings, small class sizes, schools with well stocked libraries, new computers and an array of elective courses like music, drama and art—those are the kinds of changes that would produce long lasting and dramatic improvements in student deportment and achievement” (Siegel 2). However, that would require us to invest, rather than disinvest, in our public school system.
In conclusion, not only would the implementing of school uniforms in the public school system infringe upon the First Amendment rights of the students, but would also stall their natural process of finding their own identities. Most of all, school uniforms will only act as a band-aid to the real social problems that we are confronted with, and will keep us from trying to solve those problems
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