The Pros And Cons Of School Uniforms In Schools

In recent years, uniforms have become increasingly popular in schools throughout the nation. There are certain situations where uniforms are not only acceptable but necessary. For instance, in prisons, all inmates wear jumpsuits to decrease misidentification and the forming of cliques. In the school setting, however, it could be argued that uniforms are an abuse of power and that the school administration is, in some ways, attempting to treat students the way prison inmates are treated.

School officials justify the enforcing of uniform policies by suggesting that the introduction of uniforms into school policy will improve the safety of students. However, school safety has shown little to no improvement, and a poll taken by students revealed that uniforms had no effect on their perception of school safety. Some students have even gone as far as to say that when students wear the same clothing, the chances of bullying are higher. David L. Brunsma, author of The School Uniform Movement and What It Tells Us about American Education, adds to this by saying “We found no significant effect of uniform policies on student-level behavioral issues” (34). This means that issues such as bullying and school fights are not significantly affected by enforcing school uniform policies. While bullying is a significant problem in

Author of the book School Uniforms Stifle Freedom, Kent J. Fetzer, states his opinion by saying “The biggest problem with a school uniform policy is the anti-individuality message it sends to our kids” (2). This could eventually result in a society with very little creativity or uniqueness. David L. Hudson, author of the book Rights of Students is against uniforms and points out that “School uniforms restrict creativity and foster resentment in students. These policies are a band-aid solution that won’t fix the underlying problem”