Against School Uniforms in the Class Room

A lot of schools have uniforms, but do they really help us? The reason most school switch to school uniforms rather than regular clothes is because it is said to lower violence and gang levels and bring grades up. Yet recent studies show that school uniforms do none of that there will still be gangs and there will still be violence and bad grades. On November 7, 2014 over 200 bradford secondary school students were sent home, just because of uniform infractions. Is this all really fair? Schools say that regular clothes are a distraction, if a student is told to go home in the middle of a class because of a uniform infraction that is just as distracting if not more. Along with that School uniforms restrict students' freedom of expression and contradict the first amendment rights. The first amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” That clearly states that school uniforms are in violation of the first amendment rights.

Some may say school uniforms help lower bullying but is this true? In results of research, many have discovered that school uniforms do not lower bullying. There is still just as much bullying in schools with uniforms than schools without uniforms. Many have also researched and said that school uniforms help students focus in school. Yet students are sent home because they are in dress code violation they are sent home. Or if they don’t have a parent available to pick them up from school they must sit in the office until a parent picks them up or drops off a pair of uniform appropriate clothes. If schools’ soul purposes is to teach students how to read and write and do math, then why is all this time spent not learning, and making a huge fuss, only about a student’s school attire? If you are going to send a student home, have it be because they are sick or are in big trouble not because they did not wear the right clothes.

Another thing is that school uniforms violate the first amendment rights. The first amendment states that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Some may say that school uniforms help students understand the real world but every day in the real world doesn’t require everyone to wear the same thing. Or for everyone to have natural hair colors, no neon or black nail polish, or dangle earrings. School uniforms give students no change of pace. Wearing the same thing as everyone else can make kids think poorly of themselves. School uniforms restrict expression for kids which can make them look down on themselves. Which can lead to early depression and soon to suicide.

Another problem with school uniforms is some families can’t afford school uniforms. A mother of two could spend up to a minimum of $1000 per school year. Even with discounts uniforms for fall weather can cost a minimum of $444. Most families can’t afford a $1000 per school year. School uniforms can also be very hard to size. Especially considering that most of the time you can only buy them online. Another thing is that shipping can take a while for uniforms to arrive. If schools really wants you to attend then why do they make it so difficult? Therefor it would be very difficult for a parent to afford something like school uniforms.

Along with that some kids can’t fit in the sizes offered for school uniforms. A lot of people believe it is a one size fits all world. Including clothing companies such as the ones that provide you with school uniforms. But some kids are smaller or larger than others. Which is perfectly fine. Just because a child can’t fit into the uniform, doesn’t deserve to go to school. Every child deserves an education. Whether they wear the school uniform or not.

Finally, school uniforms should not be worn at school. They do many things such as violating the first amendment rights. They are very pricy and expensive. They do not lower violence levels or improve grades. They can also be uncomfortable to the point where a student can no concentrate. They also can make a student look down or think poorly of themselves. Which can again can lead to early depression and soon suicide. So, in conclusion school uniforms should not be a part of everyday school life.

Bibliography

Kouzmine, Michelle. “Why School Uniforms Are a Bad Idea.” LiveAbout, www.liveabout.com/the-arguments-against-school-2101087.

Emma Jacobs. “Redirect Notice.” Google, Google, 7 Nov. 2014, www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/07/wearing-school-uniforms-doesn't-help-us-learn.

Kokemuller, Neil. “Arguments Against School Uniforms.” Arguments Against School Uniforms | Education - Seattle PI, 21 Nov. 2017, education.seattlepi.com/arguments-against-school-uniforms-2440.html.

Ann Svensen. “School Uniforms and Teen Violence.” FamilyEducation, 14 Apr. 1999, www.familyeducation.com/school/school-uniforms/school-uniforms-pros-cons.

“School Uniforms - ProCon.org.” ProConorg Headlines, school-uniforms.procon.org/. https://www.bartleby.com/essay/School-Uniforms-P3ZXLYYTJ

Cite this page