Say No To School Uniforms (1)

          For many years, schools, parents, and students have conflicted over the controversy of managing school clothing.  In 2007, cases including an anti-Bush shirt in Vermont, an anti-gay shirt in San Diego, and Tigger socks in Napa, California, traveled through the courts, compelling many to question whether this debate will ever be resolved.  Meanwhile, researchers are split over how much of an impact dress codes have on student knowledge.  A 2004 book states that uniforms do not improve school safety or academic conduct.  A 2005 study, however, indicates that in some Ohio high schools, uniforms may have improved graduation and attendance rates, although no improvements were observed in academic performance.
          I believe that uniforms should not be required for students; not in the United States, nor anywhere else in the world.  According to studies, uniforms are difficult to enforce in public schools, are a financial burden for low-income parents, make students a target for bullies in other schools, and are simply a cover-up on the dilemma of school violence.  In addition to these annoyances, uniforms violate a human's most important right : the right to freedom and expression.  Currently, fashion plays an enormous role in the lives of all citizens.  Not only does fashion serve as a popular study that supplies jobs to people in the industry, but most importantly, fashion allows people to develop their own sense of style; as the first thing one notices about a person, one's style should reflect their personality.
          There are, of course, a few positive perspectives of school uniforms.  In some cases, uniforms prevent gangs from forming on campus, encourage discipline, and help students resist peer pressure to buy trendy clothing.  However, gangs can still form with uniforms, and gangs are not a big issue with most schools in the world.  Also, uniforms may encourage discipline, but this discipline is not necessary. In fact, students may not act disciplined because many may rebel against the policy of uniforms.  As for peer pressure, students need to learn to react to peer pressure in a smart way, and say no to situations they feel are unfair or unsafe.  If schools require uniforms, they lose an opportunity to allow students to grow and learn from their own sense of style.  
          When institutions and people who run them become too authoritative, they resort to unnecessary actions that limit citizens' rights. By convincing themselves they can control youth culture through school uniforms, they become totalitarian regimes, which needs to change. The debate over uniforms encompasses many bigger issues than simply what  children wear, and these uniforms should not be required anywhere in the world.  For the sake of the children, let them wear what they want and be their own individuals.
          


Works Cited

Assack, Steve. "Allentown School Board Approves Student Uniforms." Mcall.com. The Morning Call, 11   Jan. 2013. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. 

Hendricks, Shawn. "Dress Code Disaster." NUVO. N.p., 7 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. <http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/dress-code-disaster/Content?oid=1230767>.


Wilde, Marian. "Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?" GreatSchools. Great Schools, 6 Aug. 2012. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. <http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/121-school-uniforms.gs>.