Alicia Essay, Research Paper

The use of uniforms will strip identity, stifle creativity, and unnecessarily burden the families that cannot afford them. Another problem that will surface due to the carrying out of school uniforms is the suppression of the individual’s creativity and expression. Many students’ express who they are through the way they dress. One major conflict that arises is the issue on that clothing is a form of symbolism. Some say it could be a form of speech which is a fact through media and others.

Yes, students should be able to dress the way they want, schools should have the right to set standards and create more of a dress code, not a unique uniform that each student must wear. Misconduct will always occur in schools not matter what type of clothing students wear, students who are problems will always seem to be a problem. School uniforms are somewhat outrageous to the concern inverse self security of right to the students, a better idea would be to put restrictions to clothing. A dress code may decrease misconduct. There is a high proven doubt it would not eliminate misconduct if uniforms were inforced. “…school uniforms will not eliminate the group barriers and unsafe school…” Principal Ramon Leyba, from Phoenix, Arizona.

The use of uniforms has already been fulfilled in several long-standing social environments. The punishment system uses uniforms to brand those persons who are imprisoned. Likewise, the military also uses them to separate and remove the individualism inside of the soldier. In both cases, individual identity is stripped away and the subject is forced to appear as the same outward appearance as every other subject. Which causes a surpressed environment of no choice in any manner.

It is said some students may face certain pressures to stay hip but it really doesn’t effect a huge majority. This type of acts will always be present in any manner of what a student wears due to their body or different appearances.

Uniforms robs us of our outlook in time on fashion that we would lack of viewing towards the future offspring. Some memories of our time period in the evolution of the clothes industry of style would vanish from existence due to a graphical out look of a uniform. Their is depraving of expression as if a teenager wants to show the rest of the world that he/she loves Jesus, then he or she might wear a T-shirt that states a positive view on the subject. Similarly, a student might want to wear green colored clothing to show his or her support for St. Patrick’s Day. School uniforms would end both of those examples listed within this paragraph and many, many more.

Parents against uniforms

The published information on the effects of school uniforms is rising on propaganda — no severe studies have been conducted on the effects of a Uniform Policy.

President Clinton’s proposed solution, requiring public schools students to wear uniforms in class, borders on the pathetic. Instead of attacking the roots of the problem, Clinton and other politicians have come up with a quick fix, one that makes for nice headlines, but does little to stem the increase in violence among teens. Requiring all students to wear uniforms would be just another example of suffering because of the actions of a few.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that clothing is a mode of self-expression and as such, protected under the First Amendment. Therefore, say experts, public schools must offer parents the right to decline to have their children wear uniforms. Those students that do not wear them cannot be punished.

Parents say?.we are taking responsibility for our kids and stopping the government from doing OUR job!!

Do Uniforms Promote Discipline?

A national study released in October of 1998 by Educational Testing Service found that there was no evidence to support claims that uniforms reduce discipline problems. The results of these findings were reported on October 14, 1998, in the Shreveport Times in an article titled “Uniforms Not a Discipline Factor in School.” The address for the study’s web site is: http://www.ets.org/research/pic/orderclass/oicchap1.html

The last issue that needs to be addressed is the unnecessary burden that will be placed upon those families of limited resources. Many low-income families do not have the money available to furnish uniforms to their children.

An education is supposed to be available to all children, not just the ones whose parents can afford to buy the government ordered attire.

The most obvious example of this scenario was the Columbine situation. The two juniors in high school felt so much anger towards their fellow classmates, who picked on them every single day of high school, that they lashed out and shot twelve of them. This was most commonly not due to the way they dressed but of other factors that had nothing to do with clothing

I have listed several reasons why the use of school uniforms should not be in America’s public education system. Not only will it melt the individual into the mass, but it will also hinder those that are destitute. If the school boards desire to make the use of uniforms, then they need to issue all of the required equipment, just like the military and the prison systems do.