School Uniform Policy and the Purpose that it can serve

 

There are several well established purposes for America’s private institutions to require their students to wear school uniforms, many of these reasons are steeped in tradition.  Whether it is practices that date back decades or it just is a commonality that all private schools have adopted since their inception, dress code policy is non controversial.  But for public schools in urban settings, the only reason to institute such policy can only be to support the efficacy of school safety measures.  In many communities, it’s been determined that school uniforms can aid administrators in their basic responsibility in identifying attending students against those that would approach school grounds with nefarious or perhaps criminalistic  intentions.  In addition to that, the prevailing notion is that with school uniform requirements, students can no longer dress in clothing that would inflame rival gang activity from classmates or potentially encourage criminalistic behavior for those that oppose such clothing.  Additionally, those that support such measures justifiably contend that within their urban communities, the uniform uniforms can relieve the social pressure that some kids feel to wear trendy clothing at any cost.  These are all valid concerns that can be addressed through uniform policy, but what serves as perhaps the main motivator for the requirement of school uniforms in urban schools is the sociological effect that trendy clothing can have on socio-economically disadvantaged students.  Most understand that those students that cannot afford to display the most contemporary fashion are disadvantaged within school circles.  And most also understand that this disadvantage can have a crippling affect on a student’s disposition, which affects an adolescent’s willingness to engage in academic activities as a result of a lack of perceived social acceptance which for young students; can result in a lack of general of institutional interest.  Such an activity is assumedly combated by the implementation of uniform policy.  But many contend that a requirement to purchase certain garments for children can in fact impose a financial hardship upon student’s parents.  Such a premise is further highlighted by the following article spotlighting the New Orleans’ school system: 

“SCHOOL UNIFORMS: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE PLAID”

www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/08/school_uniforms_the_good_the_b.html

The highlighted financial hardship must be weighed against valid institutional concerns regarding student safety and academically viability.  But irregardless, it must be recognized that the aforementioned shift in policy realistically has only a  marginal impact upon schools as any financial impact incurred by parents is equal to that of or is only slightly higher than that of the cost of clothing for student’s not required to wear uniforms.