Do the benefits of school uniforms out weigh the loss of individual expression?
Light, Murray. "Pros and Cons for School Uniforms." Buffalo News Sept 2007:H-3. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Edina High School. 16 Sept. 2007.
Murray Light discusses the pros and cons of having a school uniform policy. Studies show that parents seem to live the idea of school uniform's while kids simply don't. Parents seem to enjoy the idea of uniforms because it it s eliminates clothing arguments and the it equalizes the students by appearance, meaning that the kid who can't afford the latest fashion isn't being displayed. School officials even say that uniforms promote safety because intruder's will be more noticeable. Light also refers to a poll in long beach that recorded a drop of 90 percent in school suspension and a 96 percent reduction in sex offenses, after being required to wear uniforms. Although the expenses of these uniform's are quite crucial. In Elizabeth, NJ, school district spent 2 million on school uniform's. The district will be paying for the first school uniform but after the parents must pay for additional uniforms. Murray Light writes, "I have no problem with school uniforms but I definitely feel that the funding for the uniforms should come from community efforts and not from already hard-pressed school budgets." which is displaying her personal opinion on uniforms.
Park, Madison. "School Uniforms Poll Bares Generation Gap: Most Teachers, Parents Like Idea; Students Say No." McClatchy Newspapers Dec 2007:.SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Edina High School. 23 Dec 2007
Madison Park discusses recent polls that students are strongly against school uniform's while parents seem to be more for them. Park refers to a Senior at a Militon highschool in Bell-Air saying "If a school system starts at clothes, where does it end?" and students agreed. School have chosen to not have mandatory uniforms because "they lack educational value and suppress individual expression." Some parents of Bell-Air students stress that there are much more important issues to be worrying about then school uniforms. A study states that school uniforms are a "superficial change" but they actually attract attention. Others argue that uniforms would reduce clothing costs for parents and cut down on social distractions for students. More extensive researchers on the topic say that they have more information to prove that uniforms have more effect on the social interactions than the proof that uniforms improve safety or learning experiences.
Walsh, Mark. "U.S. Appeals Court Backs District's Rules on School Uniforms." Education Week 27.38 (May 21, 2008): 8. Educator's Reference Complete. Gale. Edina High School Library. 8 Dec. 2008 http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS.
In the article, Mark Walsh discusses a court case in San Francisco involving the policy of school uniforms for 310,000 students in the Clark county school district. The U.S. court was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada on behalf of students. One of the students that was included was readily suspended from school for wearing a religious message on her clothing.The U.S. court of appeals favored school uniforms and said that school uniforms "do not violate the First Amendment." The court also explains that they have reason to believe that only one form of student expression and leave open many channels for communication. Also due to evaluations of the students by the teachers, show that uniform's promote a better environment for students to learn. Bill Hoffman, from the general counsel for Clark County, said that fifty of the 312 schools have required school uniform policies.
Melton, Kimberly "School Uniforms Seen as Good Fit."
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