Uniforms in Public School - a Persuasive Essay

Uniforms in Public School

Is your child part of an involuntary fashion show? Does your children’s safety and discipline come first? Or is self expression more important? Arguments over the use of school uniforms in public schools have been the center of growing debate in the last few years. Public and private schools in the United States have always had dress codes policies with uniforms being prevalent in private schools. With three young children of my own I began to ask myself if school uniforms are a good idea.

The biggest noticeable impact to me when my children began preschool was financial. Like many parents I felt appearance was an important factor in starting the journey; so I threw out the old T-shirts, holey pants, scuffed shoes and bought new clothes. The annual cost of clothes made a significant dent in my wallet. Has they grew up and moved on to public school they were required to wear uniforms. The uniforms were much more cost effective and from my spouse’s point of view, they were also more convenient. The stress of decided what to wear was not a factor and it gave my children more time to dress, eat, or watch some TV before school. I understand that appearance alone does not necessarily lead to academic success so I began to research other reasons to support uniforms.

Our children’s safety is another reason uniforms are a good idea. Nationwide, public school uniforms grew in popularity starting in the mid-1990s. During the 1996 State of the Union address President Bill Clinton stated, “If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms”. As a follow up, all U.S. school districts received a manual citing the benefits of school uniforms, including a decrease in violence, theft of designer clothes and gang members wearing colors. Some schools have turned to uniforms in response to situations involving students concealing weapons in loose clothing. Also, with the increase activities of sexual offenders and terrorism a uniform can be an effective way to recognize intruders on school grounds.

Another main reason we send our children to school is to learn. How can a uniform affect academics? From a teachers point of view it eliminates learning disruptions. They argue that clothing that includes vulgar or violent language or graphics, or that advertise alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs, is a distraction. School administrators also thought that some students were more interested in designer names and who was and wasn’t wearing them than school work. From a students perspective uniforms have a profound impact on social behaviors. Students whose parents would not or could not buy them the newest fad would not have to be embarrassed or harassed because of their clothes. Their social standing would be based more on individual character and less on economic status. By wearing uniforms schools can concentrate more on the ‘business’ of learning and students can concentrate on learning without distraction.

The largest conflict over the school uniforms debate is the freedom of speech, or in this case, self expression. Do mandatory school uniforms violate the First Amendment rights? First Amendment rights apply to all United States citizens. However, the government may limit these rights depending on the class of citizen involved. For example, the government has broad discretion in limiting the rights of children than adults. In Ginsberg v. New York (1968) the Supreme Court recognized that the state has power to control the conduct of children that reaches beyond its scope of authority over