How much do you like wearing almost anything you want to school? What if that privilege was taken away? School uniforms are a waste of money, takes away the right for a student to express themselves, and is a financial issue for families with little money. Schools think that uniforms will solve problems of gangs, inappropriate clothing, and problems on what to wear. That is not the case. Most schools see no change or effect. It is because of the fact that clothes can’t calm behavior, can’t make you less violent, and definitely can’t make you choose your life choices. It won’t prevent anyone from joining a gang just showing that they aren’t. It’s like covering a stain with a rug. The problem being you didn’t take care of the issue just covered it up.

Money is a big contributor to this problem. Especially in this state of the economy, most parents can’t afford to get the required uniforms. If a school all of a sudden enforces uniforms every parent of every student will have to go get the required clothes or their children will get punished. It is not fair to punish a student because they don’t have the money to get the uniform. Another thing is that the parents need to buy enough uniforms so the student can wear one every day for the whole week. Also they need enough uniforms so that if the uniforms used that week aren’t washed they need to have back ups. Also they still need to buy other clothes for when there is a vacation. Students aren’t going to want to wear their uniforms while on summer break. It will also provoke bullying and insulting to the student because it is singling them out and sending out a message that they are poor.

Then there is the fact that clothes can’t force a person to change. One main reason that schools are forcing dress codes and uniforms is to stop bullying and hostility. The problem is that clothes can’t control a person’s personality. If one student bullies another one day, then the next day comes in with the new uniform they won’t just turn a new leaf just because that student has the same clothes. Clothes unfortunately don’t posses that ability. People won’t become friendlier with others because they look the same. The only thing it will stop is insults about clothes which is a good thing. But it is a huge use of money to solve only that problem. Same thing applies to how well students learn. Just because they have certain clothes doesn’t make them less bored, less tired, less moody, or more attentive.

As citizens of the United States Children have the right to express themselves but by adding uniforms and dress codes schools take away that right. All that it accomplishes is taking away creativity. Believe it or not by choosing they’re own clothes children and teens feel free and come up with more creative ideas. When students see the same outfits all over every day it depresses them making them feel trapped and controlled. This will only result in worse grades not better.

Not only do uniforms waste money but it also wastes teachers’ time too. With school uniforms and dress codes teachers have to waste their time making sure that students are wearing the correct clothing. Now teachers have to stop constantly on the way the way to their destination to make sure students are dressed correctly. Time will be taken out of classes to look for un-tucked shirts. Schools will make zero tolerance policies next; students will be punished for something as little as an unnoticed part of the shirt that is un-tucked. As stated by Wilson and McMahon in Duncanville, Texas at Duncanville high school in the first few weeks of the 2003-04 year hundreds of students were suspended for having the smallest thing that could easily go unnoticed out of place. Lastly by forcing the students to be the same and hiding differences the students are not prepared for the real world. Because every one in the real world won’t look the same, won’t act disciplined, and defiantly won’t be appropriate.

As a distraction for teachers, a depressant for students, a costly problem for parents, and a violation of rights to freedom school uniforms are little to no help. There is no proof or proven facts that they solve any of the problems they are suppose to solve. The only forces that can fix a student personality and help under-achieving students are hard working teachers and administrators. School uniforms are only a burden. Uniforms should stay strictly to private schools.


“Chittom, Lynn-nore Ginsburg, Jill Points of View: School Uniforms, 2009, p1-1, 1p”
“Forster, Matt Geier, Denise B. Points of View: School Uniforms, 2009, p2-2, 1p”
“Wilson, Brian McMahon, Maureen Points of View: School Uniforms, 2009, p3-3, 1p “