Mandatory School Uniforms

590 Words2 Pages

The modern school environment is less than ideal. It is inundated by bullying, discrimina-tion, and violence. While school uniforms may not solve every problem, they shape the culture in a way that lessens these unwelcome behaviors. In his 1996 State of the Union address, Bill Clin-ton called for schools "to teach character education, . . . good values and good citizenship. And 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 school uniforms" (Boutelle 35). Considering it is mandatory for children to attend school, this is an issue that affects a large number of people: parents, students, educators, and administrators.
Although school uniforms, in one form or another, have been around for centuries, the controversy surrounding them has sprung up recently. Opponents of school uniforms believe they do not increase student safety, are expensive, and violate self-expression. Students who do not support uniforms may rebel and be disruptive, creating a difficult learning environment. Dress codes and uniform policies that are too strict often bring about this unintended conse-quence. Uniform policies should be for the purpose of improving the …show more content…

Yet, in 1996, Long Beach, California became the first large urban school district to require students kin-dergarten through eighth grade to wear uniforms. Five years later, total crime in the school dis-trict dropped by 91 percent. Vandalism was reduced by 69 percent, suspensions were down 90 percent, and sex offenses had lessened by 96 percent (Konheim-Kalkstein 25). Another success story took place at Aycock Middle School. Principal William Price witnessed an immediate re-duction in suspension referrals by 50 percent after introducing uniforms (Schachter 48). These success stories are two of many that showcase the variety of benefits uniforms

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