Reasons Against Mandatory School Uniforms

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Reasons Against Mandatory School Uniforms

Educators and parents over the past five years have been battling debates for and against school uniforms. Some areas have even added a "No opt-out" to their uniform policy, meaning that no matter what the parents beliefs are, the uniform must be worn no matter what.

In this battle, school districts have been taken to court, kids getting sent home or suspended, and communities are in a bloodbath over clothing. People who salivate over mandatory school uniforms give no respect to the non-believers, and vice versa.

Here are a few reasons to say NO to mandatory school uniforms:

Kids will not get teased in class if everyone wears uniforms.

Not true. Kids still get teased due to hair, glasses, weight, height, accent, where they live, being new to the area, etc. If everyone wears the same clothing, these differences will stand out even more.

Uniforms are cheaper than buying other clothes.

Most certainly not! With uniforms, you have to buy items only at certain stores. Not only will you have to buy the mandatory white shirt and navy blue pants, but you will have to buy your children other clothes for every day use.

Also, it has become trendy to shop at thrift stores, such as Goodwill. A nice three button collared shirt can cost $3.00 at a thrift store, compared to the mandatory shirt selling for $14.97 at your required department store. Other stores can have closeouts and clearance sales, once again lessening the price of clothing.

A good way to handle the cost of clothes shopping, is to tell your son/daughter they can spend a determined amount on clothing. If they want to spend half of it on one pair of must-have jeans, you will have to point out to them the consequences of them obtaining those pants. Make sure the teenager is involved with the money aspect.

Having a uniform will cut down on kids getting sent home for dress code violations.

Actually, the opposite is true. Kids are now more prone to being sent home. Students' wardrobes are heavily scrutinized by school faculty. Now, kids are taken out of class over things like a wrong color belt, no socks with their sandals, or even having pigtails or cornrows in their hair. Does a child really need in-school suspension because they forgot their belt? Does argyle socks merit a parent coming in with new socks?

Uniforms stop gangs & violence in schools.

Gangs form in any situation. If only red and black can be worn into the school, gang members will find ways around it. Anything from rolling a shirt sleeve a certain way to putting a pen in your ear can be construed as a gang sign. Even without gangs wearing certain colors, they will still gather in bunches.

Uniforms will stop unauthorized access into school grounds by people having no business there.

This is false. People can easily find out what clothing is allowed onto school grounds, and purchase these items. Because these people would have the acceptable clothing, no one will suspect these individuals of committing a crime. In the event of a crime, it is also harder to describe the person differently than any other school member.

What else can we do? There must be some alternative?

A great alternative to uniforms is to start Human Relations classes, or diversity training. Teach about being different, and how to handle others. Having a semester or full year of this could be a turning point in a young student's life. Major corporations have adopted this policy, having people of different ethnicities and lifestyle preferences to come in and share their experiences.

When you are trying to decide for or against uniforms, remember; Slapping a uniform on a piece of coal, still gives you a piece of coal.