Negative Effects of School Uniforms

Each school year the debate rages over the positive and negative effects of school uniforms. Parents, teachers, school boards, and of course students continue to rehash the topic, with many weighing in emphatically on both sides of the issue. Where do you stand?

Proponents of instituting school uniforms typically point to a variety of compelling arguments, including the following:

• Possible school performance improvement-Many believe that the distractions of individual clothing choices interferes with students' academic performance, thus leading to the assumption that school uniforms will remove such distractions and improve students' grades. Some school districts believe that requiring students to wear uniforms has brought about an improvement in academic performance, while others do not perceive any significant difference.
• Possible behavior improvements-Requiring school uniforms can certainly deter the presence of gang clothing and paraphernalia, but does it improve students' behavior? Again, there are those who weigh in on both sides of this issue as well.
• Less expense-Another valid argument concerning the requirement of school uniforms focuses on budgeting concerns. Proponents point out that parents only have to purchase a few basic pieces of clothing, instead of numerous outfits at the beginning of each school year.

All of the above points are valid arguments, so why would someone even focus on the negative effects of school uniforms? Are there really any negative issues associated with this topic? Those who fight this issue, however, point out the following:

When you fill a school with hundreds of students all dressed exactly alike, identifying any of them at a glance might be quite difficult. What happens during a school crisis, however? Hopefully, schools already have a safety plan in place to deal with any crisis that might come along. Still, what happens when the only identifying characteristics you might have are the clothing a child is wearing? For example, if a student threatens another student or actually injures someone else, how easy would it be for that student to slip into the crowd if he or she is wearing the exact same clothing as everyone else?

Unfortunately, just because you require students to purchase and wear school uniforms doesn't mean that every student will buy uniforms that fit them correctly. For some, a uniform may just be a hand-me-down for an older sibling. For others, purchasing a uniform that fits too tightly or too loosely may just be another way to circumvent the system and protest the requirements without actually breaking the dress code. While this might seem insignificant, it can create widespread problems once other students follow suit. There will always be those who break the rules regardless of what they are required to wear, and issues like sagging pants or short skirts will continue to prevail even when uniforms are the required form of dress.

One of the most compelling arguments against uniforms involves cost. While parents will certainly only have to purchase the basic elements of the uniform, they'll still need two or three changes of each clothing piece. Uniform pieces may cost much more than a simple t-shirt and jeans as well. The cost of outfitting a child doesn't end there, however, since kids still need additional clothes to wear outside of school, including casual wear and dressier items for church or special occasions. Another problem surrounds a family's ability to purchase uniforms. Some children might only be able to afford used uniforms, while other may purchase top of the line items, thus socio-economic issues aren't automatically eliminated with uniform requirements.

Finally, one of the most serious negative effects of school uniforms is the inhibition of freedom of expression. As schools often focus on a celebration of diversity as they attempt to educate children on an appreciation of different cultures, eliminating a student's right to dress as an individual is often seen as a threat to individual rights.

Some schools have found the answer through compromise—a school dress code that stops short of requiring uniforms. A school dress code has to be specific in what students can and cannot wear, and administration must be willing to enforce it if this idea is going to work. However, a dress code can control certain issues such as immodest dressing and gang associations while still allowing students to dress as individuals. Finally, is there a definite answer to this issue? Of course not, but each individual school district must make a decision that best serves its students and community.

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