Should All Schools Require Students to Wear Uniforms?

            Should students be required to wear uniforms and follow a strict dress code while attending school? This has been a widely debated topic for a very long time. There are a few different arguments to this question. One argument says that making all students wear a school uniform would help cut down on some of the problems that we, as a country, are currently seeing in our schools. These problems range from bullying to dividing the student body. The other side of this argument brings to light that it removes a child’s uniqueness, personality, and strips the students of their right to freedom of speech. Both sides of this argument are valid. Let’s dive a little deeper into the points backing up them up.

Bullying In Schools

            Bullying is, and always has been, a big issue in schools. We all know how harsh kids can be to each other. Often times children get bullied in school for not having the newest or trendiest articles of clothing. Other students will belittle them or make snide remarks about that students’ clothing. It doesn’t matter if they are hand-me-down clothing items or items purchased from the previous school year, these bullies will find a reason to make fun of them. The bullies will point out the fact that the student is wearing the same sweatshirt or jeans multiple times in a week or that they are not wearing name brand items.

            The other side of the argument looks at the fact the bullies will be bullies. They will find a reason to make fun of these students no matter what. Even with a uniform dress code, the bullies could find a reason to make fun of another student. Maybe the school uniforms do not require them to be purchased from a specific place and one student has very nice designer slacks and the other student has generic slacks purchased from Walmart. The bully will still find ways to bully the other student.

Inappropriate Dressing In Schools

            Students love expressing themselves and they find the best way to do so is through their clothing. This often times leads to kids dressing in very questionable articles of clothing. They could be wearing clothing with holes in it, shirts revealing their bellies, or manipulating their clothing to show more skin than is allowed in schools. Shirts have been a huge way for kids to express themselves. Kids wear t-shirts with inappropriate words on them, alcohol or drug related clothing which is often not suitable for most public places let alone a high school, and even shirts with inappropriate pictures (we all remember the kid with the McDonald's golden arches shirt). This can put teachers in an awkward situation telling the students that their clothing is too revealing or inappropriate. Children can be very bold and combative, and a discussion like this may result in an unfavorable outcome for the student or the teacher.

            People who argue that a uniform will not change anything in the schools would say that it won’t even change students dressing inappropriately. The students will find ways to alter the uniforms in order to express themselves in one way or another. Girls could roll up the shirts and skirts, wile boys could fray their jeans and alter their shirts and ties in ways to express themselves. It will never be uniform among each child due to different brands of clothing that may be purchased for the uniform and overall it may not aid in any of the issues found in schools today.

Dividing the Student Body

            When students of all income classes are purchasing their own clothes, there can be a huge division among the student body when it comes to their clothing. The lower class families cannot afford the nicest clothes and the students are often seen wearing tattered, dirty clothes that have rips and stains on them. The middle class families start wearing some nicer clothes and can afford some new clothes each year in addition to wearing some old clothes. The upper class families often have new, name brand clothes each year and do not tend to wear old clothes. This can lead to a large division among the appearances of students. You are often able to see the differences in income classes in these students just by what they wear. By making kids wear a school uniform, the issue of division among the student body by clothing appearance would not be an issue. The student body would be united and not divided by implementing this change.

            The argument for the side of uniforms not changing anything would say what has already been stated in this article. Some students will get nicer quality and brand name uniforms. The wealthier students would have higher quality ones and get new ones each year where the lower class students would reuse previous uniforms as well as purchase lower quality clothing. They will still find ways to make fun of each other and point out the differences in their appearances, leading to a division among students.

Summary

            As you can see, there are many arguments for and against uniforms in school. Each argument one way can be turned into an argument for the other side as well. Whether it is bullying, inappropriate dressing or dividing the student body there is an argument for it and against it. So what do you think? Would you be for or against seeing uniforms in all schools including public ones? We would love to hear your opinions in the comment section here.

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