The unnecessary totalitarianism that is school uniforms.

[Malkiel]

Originally Posted by Milleka

HUH? The elementary and middle schools in Tulsa wear uniforms. It works out really well. Parents are not pressured to buy a bunch of expensive clothes for their child to "fit in", gangs cannot display their colors, and the focus is on academics and not what's on a kid's body. It has really cut down on discipline problems. Constitutional rights can be exercised by those over the age of 18. I do not think it applies here.

+1

A lot of kids are bullied due to their clothing or are unable to join certain group because they aren't wearing the right clothing.

[lhpartridge]

If I had a dollar for every time I had to address dress code issues I would make twice as much money as I do now. I would be able to retire early and never have to look at someone else's breasts or anal fissure again!

[supertrucker212]

Originally Posted by D3stiny

Thank god school uniforms don't exist in most schools in America. I realize a couple Catholic/private schools have them. But if they ever hit public schools, there will be an open rebellion against the federal government of United States. A rebellion that will result in massive loss of life. Taking away the right to dress freely in American high schools and junior high schools is the line that we the people of the United States of America draw. Our Founding Fathers gave us the right to bear arms to prevent totalitarianism and rebel against our government if need be. I hope it doesn't come to a rebellion, but we will rebel if necessary. Hopefully things will never come to that though, hopefully school uniforms never exist. And they never will, because if they did, there would be a rebellion. Everyone will rebel, both high school students and your average citizen who has had enough of this totalitarianism in America.

OK. First of all I can tell by your post that you haven't grown up yet. Second, I went to Catholic school and had to wear a uniform. Guess what? I survived. Third, more and more public schools are adopting some form of a dress code. Fourth, I have yet to have a job that I was allowed to "dress freely" and wear whatever I want. I see nothing wrong with dress codes and NOT allowing students to dress freely in schools. It's only preparing students for the career field. Rules are NOT totalitarianism. Here's a little info for ya on rights. They come with restrictions! I have a liscense to carry a firearm in PA the state that I live, but that doesn't mean I have "the right" to carry a gun on a school property or government property. If I do then I'd be arrrested. The first amendment guarantees freedom of speech, but that doesn't mean I have "the right" to call someone and make a death threat or yell "fire" in crowded building for no reason. Because I'd be arrested for that too. People are currently rebelling in Egypt because they want their leader out and and you wanna rebel over school uniforms.......Alrighty then

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by social bunny

i think if the students have to have a strict dress code, then the teachers and staff should also have to suffer. one time, my teacher bent down to pick up something off the floor and everyone saw she was wearing a thong! D:< DISGUSTING. one of my other teachers wore high heels and a mini skirt everyday.
there should be NO reason for school uniforms. most issues associated with free dress code can be avoided even with relatively loose school dress code. a simple enough dress code that prohibits most seductive clothing ( no heels, no skirts above the knee, no spaghetti straps/bare shoulders ect.) is enough to prevent girls from dressing like sluts if the consequences are strict enough. as for the whole gangster colors thing, if anyone can wear any colors they want, what is the point in gang colors. for instance, the gang color is red. any student can wear a red shirt, so colors are not a good way to identify another gangster. gangsters recognize other gangsters through their behavior, social network, and general clothing (not necessarily colors, but the gang-like style is enough).

So it's just girls that need a dress code? Guys can dress like total slobs, and that's not distracting to education?

I can see many sides in this issue. I'm not super-keen on uniforms myself, as to me they mean lower-regarded jobs in the workplace, e.g. in the old days nurses wore uniforms, doctors didn't, etc. But we're talking about school here. I can see the teacher's POV about spending a lot of time enforcing dress codes and how that can take away from education as well. OTOH, it's a shame kids (and their parents) have to be told how to dress appropriately.

My youngest daughter was in high school during the s***-dressing era, with the low-cut pants that gave girls the 'muffin top' look, although my own DD was thin enough then that she didn't have that. I enforced a sort of dress code in my own home that pants and skirts couldn't be *too* low cut, but appropriate garments were hard to even find at that time. I also said no "distressed" jeans; they'd get like that eventually anyway, I wasn't gong to pay to buy them looking like that. Same with those wierd 'washes' that made the jeans look like my husband's after he rolled around on the garage floor working on the cars. In fact, in our family, we called that 'garage floor wash'.

At a National Honor Society function my DD's senior year (2005), an officer of the group had this low-cut skirt on and she kept pulling it up, onstage. I pointed this out to my daughter (who got mad at me, but I think she got the message). Even the kids knew this stuff was inappropriate. I don't know. No easy answers.

[coloradosteener]

I am American, living in England for 15 years. I grew up in Massachuestts and went to public schools. I used to have the same mentality that it would infringe on my personal choice. Rubbish.

My children here in England are 10 and 7, and they and I love the school uniform. It looks nice, it's easy to sort out in the a.m.'s when they sleep late, and usually it doesn't need to be ironed. It takes away the pressure of "trends" and "costs of these trends". They have a winter uniform and a summer uniform.

We are considering a move back to the States, and I dread sending them to a school that doesn't have a uniform.