The Pros and Cons for School Dress Codes

School dress codes are set policies enforced by the school or school districts, by making a student wear a certain type of clothing or one basic type such as a uniform. Dress codes in schools began as early as the 50’s and 60’s when schools were on a campaign to curb juvenile delinquency. School dress codes are useful for having boundaries all can follow, but unless your heart is convinced, you’ll be miserable as you reluctantly obey the rules.

School dress codes are an excellent initiative. It is quite sad that all manners (including dress) have declined to the point that they must now be legislated, but at least legislating such behaviors will instill better habits. A lot of high school students feel that school dress codes are stupid.

Reasons for Uniforms

Dress codes are supposed to reduce violence and bullying by taking style differences out of the equation, according to the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Since the Clinton administration, the Education Department has encouraged schools to go further by adopting uniforms, saying they promote safety and discipline

Uniforms also prevent students from wearing gang colors to school. Uniforms are a good thing for many reasons that kids would not realize unless they were responsible for purchasing and maintaining their own wardrobe. Uniforms are provided (either free or at a small cost, everything else like tuition and books etc is free) or the parents can choose to follow the general guidelines. Some schools are more lenient but they're all pretty much the same. Children need rules and guidance. What would happen if kids could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted? Children are presented as robots without the ability to express themselves in a society that promotes self-expression and individuality. The problem is that the cost of expressing oneself and being an individual can be astronomical.

There are students that think wearing a simple shirt that says "Jesus Freak" or socks that have cartoon characters are harmless in no way. At least allowing denim into the dress code would not hurt anything, and would make the students themselves a lot happier at school. Wearing uniforms will only increase tension between students and administrators. People who advocate school uniforms obviously feel powerless in the fight for better schools and think that if schools have a well-maintained appearance then all the other factors will just fall into place. Wearing proper clothing helps people dress for success. It is said to be easier for children to learn when fashions latest trend and all that comes along with it do not distract them.

National Uniformity

The National School Board Association estimates that approximately 135,000 guns are brought to Americas 85,000 public schools each day. This is one reason school districts use to implement dress codes. The board may choose to add a parental opt-out clause; children of parents who choose to opt out shall not be sanctioned academically or otherwise. Students who belong to a "nationally recognized youth organization" must be allowed to wear that organization's uniform to school "on days that the organization has scheduled a meeting.”Local boards also may create policies that forbid students from wearing gang-related clothing or accessories. The Court held that the determination of what manner of speech in the classroom or in school assembly is inappropriate properly rests with the school board. It was perfectly appropriate for the school to disassociate itself to make the point to the pupils that vulgar speech and lewd conduct is wholly inconsistent with the fundamental values of public school education.

Philadelphia School board President Camino Hawing said the district is working on getting Hispanic parents more involved with the schools. And he said that the district hopes the parents will network and convince others to show up at various district meetings. . One of our principals has tried for several years to make uniforms mandatory but enough of the parents have protested and kept the issue from being passed. In May 2000, the Philadelphia School Board approved a mandatory school uniform policy for all students. Each school in the district will decide individually on the dress policy for its school.

Arguments for Uniforms

In the Springfield, MO, some boys reported that looking “gangsta” is where it’s at … and the girls seem to love that “hootchie mama ho” look. A Springfield Police Department representative made a brief Power-point presentation on the presence of gang-related activity in schools. Identification, resulting in intervention, was the main theme of his talk. The argument for uniforms would make it easier to identify those students that belonged in the school and those that were illegally there. Many gang members will not wear uniforms and sneak in the back doors to try to start trouble or get other students to join them.

This problem is not just in the cities but is spilling out in rural areas, for some time.I taught in a school district that was populated with many students that had moved away from inner city problems and gang activity. It was apparent that the gangs had moved out into the suburbs and gangs were roaming the hallways of the high school and middle school where I taught. The violence hand gang symbols were appearing more frequently. I finally decided to leave teaching when gang members tried pushing me down the stairs.

In Conclusion

The adoption of a school wide uniform policy is a reasonable way to provide some protection for students. Some clothing may be offensive to students and staff and may disrupt or distract the learning process. This standard asks whether school officials can reasonably forecast whether the student expression will cause a substantial disruption or material interference with school activities. All clothing should be appropriate to the student’s age, the school setting, and weather conditions. Both students and parents share the responsibility for the student's attire because clothing often sets the pattern for behavior.

Students also need to remember that, in the big picture, being asked to dress a certain way for a few hours a day is not really as arduous as it might seem. Hopefully, the big picture will prevail and common sense will rule. I suppose students will always want to break the rules and push the limits, especially in high school. These suggestions are for their protection as well as, every one else’s education. After all, isn’t that why they are in school?