As parents and students gear up for the "Back to School" season, it is time to once again raise the issue of school uniforms in America's public schools. Should our public school students be required to wear uniforms when attending classes? Will a stricter school uniform policy help to promote discipline and reduce distractions, or will it create more problems than it will solve?These are questions that I considered while on a recent vacation in Great Britain. My wife and I happened to visit one of England's largest shopping malls with some British friends, and we were both astonished to see huge displays of school uniforms in virtually every department store. Our friends noted our surprise and pointed out that virtually all students in Great Britain are required to wear uniforms to school.
They pointed out the advantages of this system including fewer distractions in the classroom and better discipline on campus. Uniforms, they said, also helped to lessen the burden on some families who cannot afford to purchase the latest fashions for their kids, and students don't have to worry about what they are going to wear to school each day. They were a bit amused that we here in the colonies had not caught on and allowed our kids to wear just about anything to school.
But what about freedom of expression, I asked. Don't kids have a right to express themselves by what they wear to class?
Of course, our friends responded. They can express themselves all they want, but not at school. They are not yet adults, our friends reminded us.
Point well taken. Parents visiting a public high school for the firs time are frequently amazed - if not shocked - by the clothing kids wear. Despite school guidelines that attempt to promote responsible attire, kids will generally find a way to push the bounds of decency and decorum - and they usually get away with it.
Girls often can be seen wearing low cut blouses and tops, bare midriffs, and skirts and shorts that leave little to the imagination. Guys often wear pants that display underwear and t-shirts with suggestive images or slogans. The result is that students sometimes find it hard to concentrate on their math or science lesson for the day.
A more significant problem is posed by students who wear gang related clothing or gang colors that may result in violent confrontations during school. Theft of clothing, particularly expensive jackets or jewelry is an all too common occurrence at many schools.
Advocates of school uniforms, especially many parents and some teachers, claim that uniform dress will eliminate many of these problems, allowing teachers to teach and students to learn. Opponents, including student rights groups and the ACLU argue that school uniforms discourage individual expression and "free speech."
So what do the courts say? Interestingly, the Supreme Court has had little to say on the subject. The last significant ruling on this issue was in 1969 when the Court ruled in Tinker v. Des Moines Community School that students' right to free expression must be protected unless it interferes with the requirements of normal school discipline. This case did not specifically refer to the question of school uniforms, and the Court has typically left this question to local school boards.
Perhaps it is time for the Supreme Court to consider an appropriate case involving mandatory uniforms and issue a definitive ruling on this important question that affects millions of school age kids and their families. Such a ruling would most certainly be welcomed by parents, administrators, teachers, and school boards who wrestle with this problem year after year.
As for the "requirements of normal school discipline," the current school dress policies of most schools do little if anything to support or encourage even minimal disciplinary standards. The result is usually the opposite.
Many charter schools and most private schools in the United States have required uniforms for years with excellent results. Students quickly adapt to the required dress and find other ways to "express themselves." Meanwhile, classes can focus on more on learning and less on the latest styles from Juicy Couture or Victoria's Secret.
