Should Public Schools Require Uniforms?

Private schools have always required uniforms, but should public schools as well? In 1994 they did when public schools in Long Beach, California decided to begin requiring uniforms. According to the school district in Long Beach, the change came with drastic changes, for the better. School muggings and fights decreased by 50% and the committing of sexual assaults were reduced by 75%. After hearing these statistics, public schools around the country were quick to question whether they should also be requiring school uniforms. Are school uniforms as beneficial as they seem? I say no.

Can uniforms be beneficial? Yes they can. Besides possibly reducing violent acts in the schools, there may be some possible benefits from school uniforms. Many school administrators, teachers, and parents believe that if students were required to wear uniforms there would be more focus on learning in the classroom. Fewer students would be distracted by what they and other students were wearing, allowing more time for learning. Because all students would be wearing the same thing, the amount of equalization will increase, and the amount of teasing may potentially decrease.School uniforms would decrease the amount of pressure on students to wear the cool, stylish clothes.

But how are they harmful? Challengers of uniforms in public schools argue that requiring uniforms takes away the students' ability to express themselves through their clothes. Students as young as preschool should help decide what they're going to wear because it encourages confidence in their personalities. If students are required to wear uniforms to school, they are also potentially being denied the ability to have a healthy transition into adulthood. Challengers of uniforms argue that uniforms will shelter students from the real world where they will possibly be heavily judged by their appearance. What if children aren't comfortable in the particular uniform that they're being forced to wear? Wouldn't that totally eliminate the fact that uniforms would increase the students' ability to focus? Because if you ask me, I'd say that most students would not be able to focus if they were wearing something completely uncomfortable all day.

So ask yourself this..should uniforms be required in public schools? Like I said, I say no. Children should not be denied of their right for free expression at such a young age. We should be encouraging our students to be different, and confident in themselves. Not forcing them to be exactly alike.