School Uniforms For the Win

Over the years, schools have become a playground for gangs wearing their insignia, fashion wars, and students displaying distracting media inspired apparel. Communities are becoming worried about the emphatic role that apparel is playing in the school environment. On a daily basis students face important decisions based solely on clothing choice. In school, clothing can be used for many things. Clothing can be a statement of socio-economic status, an attention grabbing tool, a rebellious act, a way to show which gang you belong to, and even a means to smuggle drugs and weapons on campus. None of these uses have anything to do with what should be students top priority, which is learning.

Although there is some support and agreement that clothing choice causes issues for students and staff at school, not everyone agrees that it's a problem that needs to be remedied. There are some that say limiting dress choice is against students' constitutional rights and freedom of expression. These proponents suggest that letting schools enforce dress codes is giving those in power too much control. Also, asserted is that putting standards on what students can wear increases the cost to attend school and gives parents more to worry about.

While the opinions of those who don't think dress choice should be limited are considered, the most popular solution to issues concerning students clothing is to institute school uniform policies. School uniforms solve most clothing concerns and issues. Students socio-economic status can be hidden behind a uniform making school a more level playing field socially for students who are from low income families. Also, when all students come to school in an expected attire, no attention is drawn to specific students who use their clothing as an attention grabbing tactic. Some students rebel through their clothing choice, maybe choosing to wear things they know make others around them feel uncomfortable. Annmarie Kelly Harbaugh, a school teacher, starts practicing what she will say to her students when they start a new school year wearing revealing trends that make other students uncomfortable by coming up with things like, "Before school, you have one chance to cover your body. If you miss, then it's my turn" (1). School uniforms decrease the amount of times she would have to say this. Furthermore, school uniforms make it unacceptable to wear gang colors and harder to smuggle drugs and weapons onto campus.

Since school uniforms solve so many problems at school it is rational to support schools in their choice to implement uniform policies. Showing support for uniforms can be done in many ways. Communities can educate their families and citizens about the positive things that come from uniforms. If a uniform policy doesn't exist, parent groups and advocates can hold informational open houses, pass out informative brochures, have meetings with local educators, and write articles on school uniforms and their positive contributions in local papers. Doing these things will help insure that school uniforms can be implemented and have a positive impact on school atmosphere for deserving students.