Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms

From LoveToKnow Kids

Should students have to wear school uniforms? At both large and small schools across the United States, this is a frequent subject of heated debate.

Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms?

Private schools have traditionally required uniforms for quite some time, but the issue of students in public schools being asked to wear uniforms continues to create strong feelings for people on both sides of the discussion.

Advantages of Uniforms

Should students have to wear school uniforms? Arguments for answering "yes" to this question include:

  • Part of the reason children attend school is to prepare to enter the working world and most businesses do have some form of a dress code. A uniform makes school seem more like a "job" that children should take seriously.
  • Kids can't waste class time fighting about current fashion trends and who has the coolest outfit if they are wearing uniforms.
  • Uniforms eliminate concerns about teens wearing clothing that is too revealing, since most uniform styles are very modest.
  • Uniforms may help with school security, since they make it easy to quickly identify who should be at the school and who is a visitor.
  • In communities with gang issues, school uniforms can help decrease violent outbursts.
  • Many schools that require uniforms say they promote school spirit and school pride.
  • School uniforms are often more durable than regular children's clothing, since they are made to withstand repeated washing.
  • School uniforms will save parents time in the morning, since they eliminate the debate about what a child can wear to school.
  • As moderately priced garments, school uniforms may save parents a significant amount of money over purchasing high priced designer clothes for their children. Families with more than one child can save even more money by passing uniforms down to younger siblings.

Disadvantages of Uniforms

People who oppose asking students to wear school uniforms often cite the following reasons for their position:

  • Uniforms don't allow room for creativity and self-expression in clothing choices.
  • Many students will rebel against authority regardless of the reason for the rules. Administrators who require uniforms must prepare to spend significant amounts of time policing students who refuse to follow the requirements or make unauthorized modifications to their uniforms.
  • Parents will still need to buy clothing for their kids to wear when they are not in school, thus creating the need for two different wardrobes.
  • Low income parents who would normally buy their children's clothing from garage sales, consignment stores, or thrift shops may find uniforms to be more expensive than their current system of dressing the kids for school.
  • Finding appropriately sized uniforms can be difficult for parents who have children who are taller, shorter, thinner, or heavier than average.
  • Families who move frequently are faced with a large expense if they need to keep buying uniforms for children every time they switch schools.

What is a Uniform?

Part of the issue in deciding should students have to wear school uniforms is that there are many different variations of school dress. Students may be thinking they'll need to wear white dress shirts and itchy wool blazers all day, while teachers may be thinking more along the lines of polo shirts with the school logo and a pair of khaki pants. Parents may be worried they won't be able to save money on clothes if they are forced to buy uniforms from a specific company, but there are a number of schools that allow parents to make their own purchases as long as the items meet specific requirements for color, cut, and style. To make answering the "Should students have to wear school uniforms?" question a bit easier, it's important to be as specific as possible when presenting any uniform proposal.

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