Article on uniforms in schools: Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms?

Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms?

Last updated on:
1/30/2017 |
Author: ProCon.org

PRO (yes)

Pro 1

Bill O’Chee, Australian politician, in a Jan. 10, 2017 article, “Why School Uniforms Are as Important as Student Laptops,” available at theage.com.au, stated:

“[D]itching school uniforms would not only cost parents more money, and would be a bad idea all around. In fact, school uniforms are as important as student laptops in the education experience…

Interestingly, what most excites children going to school for the first time is usually their uniform. Every five-year-old can appreciate wearing a school uniform is a powerful rite of passage, and an equally powerful statement of belonging.

This is no less true of high school students. Quite frankly, we spend far too much time pandering to a generation for whom individuality is a temper tantrum and a Facebook post short of an overblown sense of entitlement.

We need to spend more time emphasising the value of community, and how communities can only function if everyone gives up some of their own entitlement for the good of others. ”

Jan. 10, 2017

Pro 2

Keith Metcalfe, Deputy Head Master Elect at Harrow School in the United Kingdom, in a Mar. 9, 2016 article, “Should We Get Rid of School Uniform?,” available at telegraph.co.uk, stated:

“Harrow’s distinctive uniform is not simply an exercise in conformity, but a connection to the rich history of the school and a symbol of its distinguished community… These elements make boys feel that they belong to something bigger than themselves. The simple act of putting on a uniform makes every day an occasion, and indicates a readiness for the day ahead…

But boys at Harrow do not wear uniform simply for the sake of tradition, to feel they belong, or even to prepare them mentally to study.

Like so many things at Harrow, our uniform is a great leveller. No two Harrovians are the same: some live in London, others much further afield in the UK or overseas; a number come from established Harrow families, others have no experience of public schooling; many excel in sport or the arts, while others are incredibly strong academically.

Whatever they bring to the Hill, they all come together on equal footing, to be identified and judged by their character and contribution alone.”

Mar. 9, 2016

Pro 3

French Toast Official School Wear, a school uniform supplier, stated in its article titled “Why School Uniforms?,” available at FrenchToast.com (accessed Aug. 29, 2014):

“It’s time to eliminate from schools the status and respect many students give to clothing labels and price tags. Student attention needs to return to learning in the classroom, rather than how they look when they are in that classroom. Mandated uniforms can serve to shift the emphasis from competition back to academic performance and personal achievement…

Uniforms create a feeling of oneness and belonging. Everyone can be on the same team. As on athletic teams, uniforms are worn for immediate identification and to inspire a feeling of ‘oneness.’ Put on your team uniform and you suddenly belong. A sense of loyalty emerges from inside, as does an extra effort to perform at the student’s best…

Uniforms add measures of safety in identical dress. Gang identification is obscured. Group violence and theft are dissipated… Children are no longer identified by their ‘colors.’ Uniform dress alleviated the feelings of imminent danger for students who were afraid they might inadvertently dress in gang colors…

Uniforms also raise students’ expectations of themselves. When dressed neatly and seriously, students tend to behave seriously. Often teachers find calmer, more polite, more attentive students. Students seem to feel more confident in the way they look, and so they have more confidence in themselves…”

Aug. 29, 2014

Pro 4

Alun Jones, President of the Girls’ School Association and Principal of St Gabriel’s Independent Day School in the United Kingdom, in a Nov. 22, 2015 article, “Skirts at Top Private Girls’ School Become Longer as Teachers Try to Combat Bullying,” available at telegraph. co.uk, stated:

“Uniforms are a very important part of the school’s identity.

It brings so many benefits in terms of moral, discipline and results because it is a leveller of children of all backgrounds. The uniform is exactly that – a uniform – rather than a fashion statement.

We have a styling of uniforms for girls that’s more comfortable, practical and more suited for a girl’s shape. There is a move in schools for girls’ skirts to be kept at a decent level. Some schools are moving to mid-calf-length skirts to reflect the workplace and the type of dress these girls will be required to wear in adult life.

Fashion and image are very important. These are highly emotional subjects for girls. And as far as girls are concerned it is very important that they don’t have to give in to these sort of pressures so they actually welcome [wearing a uniform].

They like to look smart – which is one of the huge benefits of a uniform – and that also means that they don’t have to rise to stereotypical images and behaviours and therefore can be themselves. ”

Nov. 22, 2015

Pro 5

Chloe Spencer, a high school student at Neale-Wade Academy in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, stated in her Oct. 3, 2013 blog post titled “What’s the Point of School Uniform?,” published on theguardian.com:

“Wearing a uniform is a badge of pride, creates an identity for a school and is an important part of being a school student… A school uniform teaches students to dress smartly and take pride in their appearance…

Perhaps most importantly, a uniform means students don’t have to worry about peer pressure when it comes to their clothes. When everyone is dressed the same, worrying about what you look like isn’t so important. There is no competition about being dressed in the latest trend, which would put a great deal of financial pressure on students and parents. Potential bullies have one less target for their insults; it’s hard to make fun of what someone is wearing when you’re dressed exactly the same…

My uniform might not be what I would wear in my own time, but it gives me a sense of belonging, takes away the pressure of what to wear and deters the bullies. School uniform isn’t fashionable, but that’s exactly why I think it should be here to stay.”

Oct. 3, 2013

Pro 6

Bill Clinton, JD, 42nd President of the United States, stated in his Feb. 24, 1996 radio address, available at the American Presidency Project website:

“I believe we should give strong support to school districts that decide to require young students to wear school uniforms. We’ve all seen the tragic headlines screaming of the death of a teenager who was killed for a pair of sneakers or jewelry or a designer jacket. In Detroit, a 15-year-old boy was shot for his $86 basketball shoes. In Fort Lauderdale, a 15-year-old student was robbed of his jewelry. Just this past December in Oxon Hill, Maryland, a 17-year-old honor student was killed at a bus stop, caught in the crossfire during the robbery of another student’s designer jacket.

School uniforms are one step that may be able to help break this cycle of violence, truancy, and disorder by helping young students to understand that what really counts is what kind of people they are, what’s on the inside, to remember that what they’re doing at school is working, not showing off their own clothes or envying another student’s clothes…

If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms. If it means that the schoolrooms will be more orderly, more disciplined, and that our young people will learn to evaluate themselves by what they are on the inside instead of what they’re wearing on the outside, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms.”

Feb. 24, 1996

Pro 7

Belinda Luscombe, Editor-at-Large at TIME magazine, stated in her Mar. 25, 2014 article titled “How Ugly School Uniforms Will Save Education,” published on Time.com:

“[School uniforms] are great levelers. With a strategically chosen uniform, body type disappears. And it’s hard to distinguish who is cool and who is not. It’s harder to discern the differences in socio-economic background. Nobody wants any item of clothing that the other is wearing; all are equally undesirable, so thieving and general adolescent covetousness are reduced…

A uniform is not the same thing as a dress code… No endless back and forth between child, parents and school. Moreover, when a kid’s in uniform, he or she sticks out like a sore thumb. The local community knows where that kid belongs. It’s harder for kids to skip school or get into trouble outside school. They’re too easily spotted…

What do bridesmaids, military personnel and emergency service workers have in common? They all have to wear what they’re given without whining, no matter how puffy the sleeves or hideous the shoes. Oh yeah, and they also are there to serve somebody else. Nothing says ‘this is not just about you,’ more than an ugly uniform. And where else could we learn a lesson in sacrifice and serving the common good with so little actual sacrifice?…”

Mar. 25, 2014

Pro 8

Karin Polacheck, PhD, former Board President of the Long Beach Unified School District, wrote in her letter to the editor titled “Uniforms Help Solve Many School problems,” published in the Long Beach Press-Telegram on Sep. 28, 1995:

“Uniforms improve discipline, self-esteem and self-respect. They focus attention upon learning and away from such distractions as fashion competition and gang intimidation. Requiring uniforms enhances school security by permitting identification of non-students who try to enter the campus. Weapons have been concealed in jumpsuits, overcoats, and baggy gang clothing.

Uniforms help to create unity amid diversity by easing ethnic and cultural tensions and encouraging values of tolerance and civility. Uniforms also bridge differences between students and families of widely disparate income levels. Students from modest economic backgrounds are often the target of exclusion or ridicule on account of their dress. Even from the earliest grades, children feel the pressure to conform to idealized standards of dress, which may be beyond their family’s means. Uniforms eliminate this pressure and allow the attention of students to be directed to learning and growing.

Affordable school uniforms can reduce clothing costs substantially. The average clothing cost per child in schools with a student uniform is markedly less than that in schools without uniforms…

Chosen by each school, school uniforms provide students with a school identity, strengthen school and individual spirit and pride — not unlike the way an athletic team uniform builds team identity, morale and self-esteem. Instead of feeling alienated or disconnected, students enjoy the sense of belonging that school uniforms bring.”

Sep. 28, 1995

Pro 9

Amelia Jimenez, former student at Hershey High School (Hershey, PA), wrote in her May 31, 2009 op-ed titled “The Case for High School Uniforms,” published on PennLive.com:

“Contrary to popular belief, uniforms do not stop students from being themselves. Uniforms do not silence voices. Students can wear a variety of expressive items, such as buttons or jewelry…

Also, uniforms are more practical than regular clothes… Students who wear uniforms during the week do not need a lot of leisure clothes, which can lower clothing costs.

It is also worth noting that uniforms do not have to be expensive, they can simply be particular pants and sweaters. If low-income families still cannot afford uniforms, there are many ways to help them.

Districts, school parents, graduates as well as community and business leaders have worked together to donate or finance uniforms…

Yet another benefit of uniforms is that they teach students to dress according to guidelines. Some believe that uniforms do not prepare students for the real world in which people wear whatever they want. However, most workplaces have uniforms or dress codes.

Also, uniforms increase student safety. They prevent thefts because no one’s clothes are more valuable. Moreover, intruders can be easily sighted. It is easier for field-trip chaperones to know for which students they are responsible.”

May 31, 2009

CON (no)

Con 1

Will Galloway, Chairman of the South Carolina Teenage Republicans, in a Jan. 5, 2017 article, “Will Galloway: Just Say No to School Uniforms,” available at fitsnews.com, stated:

“Rather than promote an orderly and disciplined student environment, mandatory uniforms would cause massive student disobedience and take away valuable instruction time. If one or two students wear something inappropriate, administration will handle it. The student in question will change, be disciplined, and return to class without disrupting the school day. [South Carolina] Rep. McKnight’s [mandatory uniform] policy would trigger massive backlash from students, and would cost countless hours of classroom instruction. Public schools already have dress codes which ban provocative, revealing, gang-affiliated, and hateful clothing, which addresses Rep. McKnight’s concerns in introducing the bill.

Second, the bill would not mask income disparities, it would showcase them. The bill says that it would provide funding for at least five uniforms for a student who cannot afford one, depending on the availability of funding.

What happens when this funding is not available anymore? And why would this be the best use of money on the school system? Wouldn’t it be better to fix the crippling inequality of schools along the I-95 corridor? Or invest in vocational training for our students? Rather than attempting to disguise poverty, shouldn’t we attempt to solve it and help these students and their families rise out of poverty?”

Jan. 5, 2017

Con 2

Rob O’Donnell, President of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union, as quoted in a Feb. 8, 2016 article by Peter McGuire, “No Skirting the School Uniform Debate,” available at irishtimes.com, stated:

“When we ask student councils about the issues of concern to them, this often comes up. It’s even more of a concern in mixed schools where, every day, girls see their male classmates come to school in trousers… Some girls really, really hate – absolutely hate – to wear skirts. It is a dated system. In any other walk of life, we wouldn’t dream of telling girls that they have to wear a skirt. So why is it acceptable to inflict it on them at school?

…We’ve seen situations in coeducational schools whereby the girls are allowed to dye their hair a natural colour, but the boys are not allowed at all. How a young person appears makes no difference whatsoever to their education… Schools should be encouraging free thought and self-expression, not suppressing it. ”

Feb. 8, 2016

Con 3

Alistair Browlow, Co-Principal of Rochester Independent School in the United Kingdom, in a Mar. 9, 2016 article, “Should We Get Rid of School Uniform?,” available at telegraph.co.uk, stated:

“Some English schools (and politicians) see uniform as a quick fix for a range of problems. However, serious discipline and academic issues are unlikely to be solved by nostalgically resurrecting the blazer or draconian decrees issued from the headmaster’s study regarding skirt length.

Students flourish when they’re treated as free-range individuals, rather than battery-hen units that must conform. Examples from around the world show that high standards of discipline, team spirit and attainment are not synonymous with school uniform.

Importantly, the lack of uniform is widely debated among our students – they’re aware of the danger of defining individuality in terms of clothing, and of issues such as body image and self esteem. As media savvy individuals they are suspicious of attempts by some schools to use uniform as part of their corporate identity and brand.”

Mar. 9, 2016

Con 4

Nancy E. Bailey, PhD, education author and activist, wrote in her 2013 book Misguided Education Reform: Debating the Impact on Students:

“Students should learn to make informed decisions about the clothes they wear…

Bullying occurs whether students wear uniforms or not. The root cause of bullying should be addressed. Teens should be able to develop self-expression and their personal identity. Instead, they might resort to unconventional piercings and tattoos… [S]chool uniforms encourage followers not leaders. The practice discourages independent thinkers. This follower mentality could extend into adulthood…

[T]he push for students to wear uniforms to improve behavior lacks validity and seems ill-advised for a democratic public school system. Today’s school uniforms seem more a punitive measure meant to deny students their right to freedom of expression and individuality. Public schools can still have dress codes without resorting to mandatory uniforms. There are much better goals to address safety and overall school climate.”

2013

Con 5

Linne Hoofnagle, former staff writer for Tiger Hi-Line, the student newspaper at Cedar Falls High School (Cedar Falls, IA), wrote in her Dec. 4, 2012 article titled “Uniforms Limit Number of Outlets for Creativity and Self-Expression,” available on the Tiger Hi-Line website:

“[T]he most obvious point against uniforms is that they restrict self-expression. We live in a dynamic society, full of unique characters that make our world a spontaneous one. Cutting that off at a young age only stifles creativity and encourages conformity. We want to encourage our children to be expressive and to think outside the box. Forcing them to wear ugly gray sweater vests and starched white shirts is not the way to do that.

The gender-specific uniform guidelines often reinforce the gender binary in the school environment. The separation between females and males will only increase. If uniforms were all-encompassing and non-gender specific, this problem would not exist. However, uniforms are not all-encompassing. There are limited choices for males and limited choices for females. Though females can wear uniform pants, men are not allowed to wear uniform jumpers. Conflict would arise if a male attempted to wear the specified ‘female’ attire. This poses problems to LGBT progress in school environments…

[W]here did we get the idea that bullying and stereotypes would magically disappear if we implemented a strict uniform? People will not stop bullying each other based on appearance, which manifests itself in ways besides clothing. If we convince ourselves that placing limits on clothing choices will eliminate school bullying, we are kidding ourselves.”

Dec. 4, 2012

Con 6

David L. Brunsma, PhD, Professor of Sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), wrote in his 2004 book titled The School Uniform Movement and What It Tells Us about American Education: A Symbolic Crusade:

“The ‘evidence’ that has been invoked throughout this uniform movement has been… generalization after generalization from an ever-flowing stream of anecdote, with little to no critical thinking, and certainly no empirical investigation. The movement can be categorized as one of anecdote versus evidence, fear versus rationality, the status quo versus social and educational change…

It should be clear by now that uniform policies are not effective in our public schools. …[S]chool uniforms, as a policy and strategy, do not play a role in producing more parental involvement, increased preparedness, positive approaches toward learning, pro-school attitudes, a heightened feeling of school unity and safety, or positive school climates. Therefore, such a policy should not be discussed as increasing the educational atmosphere at any level of schooling.”

2004

Con 7

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada stated in its Dec. 19, 2008 article titled, “Four Reasons Public Schools Should Think Twice before Instituting School Uniform Policies,” available at aclunv.org:

“Because students’ self-expression on clothing generally does not disrupt class, uniforms are an inefficient and unnecessary bureaucracy that requires school officials to be worried about what everyone is wearing. Instead, school officials should only be concerned with clothing that is actually disruptive – which both dress codes and simple common sense are more than adequate to handle…

In conflict with the First Amendment, school uniform policies create… an environment of sterilized uniformity scrubbed of the diversity so prized by our founding fathers. Perhaps more importantly, the façade of homogeneity in no way reflects the real world that students will enter immediately upon graduation from high school… Forcing students to dress and look alike flies in the face of the diversity of thought and rugged individualism that are the bedrock of our nation and our Constitution…

[A]llowing students to choose their clothing is an empowering message from the schools that a student is a maturing person who is entitled to the most basic self-determination. In a freer learning environment, students begin with a sense of self-worth – rather than as identical captives without options. Giving kids a choice to express themselves not only acknowledges their individuality but creates the possibility for a relationship of mutual respect. So long as this parade of choices does not interrupt the school day, schools should be interested in nurturing, rather than standardizing, student expression.”

Dec. 19, 2008

Con 8

Alfie Kohn, MA, education activist and author, stated in his Oct. 2, 1996 article for the Boston Globe titled “The Trouble with School Uniforms,” available at AlfieKohn.org:

“The appeal of school uniforms is based less on the likelihood of realizing any long-term benefits than on the nostalgic yearning for a simpler and less dangerous age.  To imagine that telling students what to wear will bring back those days is to engage in wishful, if not fuzzy, thinking…

If we want students to grow into critical thinkers and ethical people, then we have to aim higher than mere conformity.  Children, after all, learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions.  If we want them to take responsibility for their behavior, then we have to give them responsibilities…

Thus, if T-shirts contain slogans that offend us, or gang colors threaten to be inflammatory, school administrators might invite students to participate in analyzing the problem and constructing a solution.   Apart from being more respectful, this approach is also more effective over the long run (and better preparation for life in a democratic society), than issuing a decree (‘Wear this’)…

Is it even reasonable to expect uniforms to solve the problems for which they are recommended?  Can violence be reduced by borrowing an idea from the military?…

Complex problems will not disappear just because we demand that students wear what we tell them.  Relying on power to induce conformity rarely produces lasting solutions.”

Oct. 2, 1996

Con 9

The St. Petersburg Times stated in its July 23, 1999 editorial titled “Uniform Policy Goes Too Far,” available at SPTimes.com:

“[M]andatory school uniforms… give school officials extraordinary power over what should be a parental prerogative, without any firm evidence that uniforms enhance learning or discipline…

Schools have a dual responsibility to educate students and to develop productive, creative individuals who will grow up to lead the nation and bring innovation to our marketplace. …[I]t’s hard to be an individual when the system punishes anything but conformity.”

[Editor’s Note: St. Petersburg Times changed its name to Tampa Bay Times on Jan. 1, 2012. The editorial quoted above is no longer available on SPTimes.com and has not yet been made available on TampaBay.com as of Sep. 5, 2014.)

July 23, 1999

Con 10

Alicia Thomas, former student at Lower Dauphin High School (Hummelstown, PA), wrote in her May 31, 2009 op-ed titled “The Case against High School Uniforms,” published on PennLive.com:

“While uniforms do assuage the best-clothes competition, they create a new and more painful contest: the best-body competition. When every student is wearing the same uniform, everyone fills it out differently.

They can expect to be ridiculed for not looking as fantastic in their uniforms as some of the better-looking students. And this could be catastrophic for anyone with a less-than-perfect image of themselves… There’s also the problem of students’ squelched individuality.

Schools spend so much time trying to keep their students under control that they end up squashing the sparks that some of those kids were born with…

Uniforms jeopardize the ability of America’s youth to express themselves, to become the people that they want to be.

[T]he way that students dress should be their own choice, not their teachers.”

May 31, 2009

History of School Uniforms | ProCon.org

Children in uniform at a North Carolina public school.
Source: “About Our School,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools website (accessed Aug. 22, 2014)

Traditionally favored by private and parochial institutions, school uniforms are being adopted by US public schools in increasing numbers. According to a 2020 report, the percentage of public schools that required school uniforms jumped from 12% in the 1999-2000 school year to 20% in the 2017-18 school year. School uniforms were most frequently required by elementary schools (23%), followed by middle (18%), and high schools (10%). [97]

Proponents say that school uniforms make schools safer for students, create a “level playing field” that reduces socioeconomic disparities, and encourage children to focus on their studies rather than their clothes.

Opponents say school uniforms infringe upon students’ right to express their individuality, have no positive effect on behavior and academic achievement, and emphasize the socioeconomic disparities they are intended to disguise.

History of School Uniforms

The first recorded use of standardized dress in education may have been in England in 1222, when the Archbishop of Canterbury mandated that students wear a robe-like outfit called the “cappa clausa. ” The origin of the modern school uniform can be traced to 16th Century England, when the impoverished “charity children” attending the Christ’s Hospital boarding school wore blue cloaks reminiscent of the cassocks worn by clergy, along with yellow stockings. As of Sep. 2014, students at Christ’s Hospital were still wearing the same uniform, and according to the school it is the oldest school uniform still in use. When Christ’s Hospital surveyed its students in 2011, 95% voted to keep the traditional uniforms. [14] [83]

Two boys from the elite English school Eton, dressed in formal school uniforms, are observed by working-class London boys in 1937.
Source: Greg Sandow, “Vacation Thoughts — Formal Dress,” artsjournal.com, Sep. 13, 2008

In later centuries, school uniforms became associated with the upper class. At one of England’s most prestigious schools, Eton, students were required to wear black top hats and tails on and off campus until 1972, when the dress codes began to be relaxed. [14]

School uniforms in the United States followed the traditional use of uniforms established in England and were generally limited to private and parochial schools. [14] One exception was found in government-run boarding schools for Native American children, first established in the late 1800s, where the children, who had been removed from their families, were dressed in military-style uniforms. [49]

US School Uniform Movement Begins

Native American children in uniform at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, circa 1890.
Source: Jon Allen Reyhner, “Indian Boarding Schools,” californiaindianeducation.org (accessed Aug. 5, 2014)

The first US public schools known to institute uniform policies were in Maryland and Washington, DC, in the fall of 1987, with Cherry Hill Elementary School in Baltimore, MD, gaining the most publicity. These early uniform programs were voluntary, but according to a New York Times report from Dec. 1987, most parents supported the idea and “almost all” students wore the uniforms. School officials and other advocates of the new uniform policies noted improvements in students’ “frame of mind” and stated that uniforms had “sharply reduced discipline problems.” They also reported that uniforms had “already reduced the preoccupation of students with expensive designer clothing for school wear and eased the financial burden that placed on the students’ families.” [48] The origin of the uniform policy in Baltimore has been linked to a 1986 shooting, in which a local public school student was wounded during a fight over a pair of $95 sunglasses. [14]

By the fall of 1988, 39 public elementary schools and two public junior high schools in Washington, DC, had instituted mandatory uniform polices, and soon the movement spread to other states, including Connecticut and New Jersey, generally in urban schools with mainly low income and minority students. In 1988, Ed Koch, then-Mayor of New York City, expressed support for school uniforms, saying that they encourage “common respect and improve the learning environment,” and praising them because of their similarity to outfits worn in private and parochial schools. A pilot uniform program was introduced in New York City in 1989. [14]

The first school district in the United States to require all its K-8 students to wear uniforms was the Long Beach Unified School District, CA, in Jan. 1994. Later the same year, California Governor Pete Wilson signed a bill officially allowing schools to implement mandatory uniform policies. In accordance with the new law, Long Beach parents were given an opt-out provision. [50][52] The Long Beach Unified School District announced through a spokesman that gang activity in the area had provided an impetus for the policy: “Every large city in the U.S. has been concerned about the gangs. Their clothes really are an unofficial uniform of intimidation.” [50]

Bill Clinton’s Support of Uniforms

On Jan. 3, 1996, President Bill Clinton told Congress during his State of the Union speech: “[I]f it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms. ” [51]

42nd US President Bill Clinton delivering his 1996 State of the Union address, during which he announced his support of school uniforms.
Source: Jack Cafferty, “How Much Do State of the Union Speeches Matter?,” cnn.com, Jan. 27, 2010

On Feb. 25, 1996, President Clinton repeated his message about uniforms in his weekly radio address and during a series of media appearances. On the same day, he ordered the distribution of a school uniform manual to the country’s 16,000 school districts. The manual guided school districts in the legal enforcement of a uniform policy. In July 1998, President Clinton continued his promotion of school uniforms with a speech at the annual convention of the American Federation of Teachers, stating that uniforms help children “feel free” and reduce crime and violence. In response, according to the New York Times, then-US Senator and former US presidential candidate Phil Gramm “accused the President of a tendency toward intrusive government. ” [52]

School Uniforms and the Law

In 1969, the US Supreme Court made a decision that would later be used by both uniform proponents and opponents to support their arguments. In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the Court ruled 7-2 that schools could not curtail students’ freedom of expression as long as the students’ choices were “not disruptive, and did not impinge upon the rights of others.” The students in question had worn black armbands to protest America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, and school uniform opponents use this decision to argue that students’ choice of what to wear is protected by the Free Speech Clause in the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Uniform proponents, however, cite a passage in Tinker‘s majority opinion that states, “The problem posed by the present case does not relate to regulation of the length of skirts or the type of clothing.” [28][18]

Several lower courts have made rulings related to school uniforms, often favoring uniform proponents. In a 1995 case, Bivens by Green v. Albuquerque Public Schools, a federal district judge ruled that the desire to wear “sagging pants” prohibited by the school dress code did not constitute freedom of expression because, unlike the wearing of black armbands to protest the Vietnam War, it did not convey a “message,” nor did it represent an ethnic identity: “Sagging is not necessarily associated with a single racial or cultural group, and sagging is seen by some merely as a fashion trend followed by many adolescents all over the United States.” The plaintiff had contended that his choice of outfit was an element of hip hop style favored by minorities and that it constituted a “group identity,” stating that “such intentional identification clearly must involve freedom of expression.” [18][58]

Cartoon satirizing the complaint that school uniforms promote conformity.
Source: graham-briggs-school-outfitters.co.uk (accessed Aug. 5, 2014)

In Mar. 1997, an Arizona state appeals court upheld Phoenix Preparatory Academy’s mandatory uniform policy, declaring it to be constitutional. This was the first time a judge had upheld a uniform policy that did not provide an “opt-out” provision. One of the students who brought suit against the school district had broken the school’s uniform restrictions by wearing a t- shirt adorned with the US flag and the slogan “I support my country.” The other student filing suit had worn a t-shirt portraying Jesus Christ and the Bible, along with the words “True Spirit” and “The School of Higher Learning.” The unanimous ruling (3-0) in Phoenix Elementary School District No. 1 v. Green found that by enforcing a uniform policy, the school “regulated the medium of expression, not the message” and found that school was “not a public forum” in which freedom of expression would be more strictly protected. The court accepted the school district’s claim that it adopted the uniform policy to serve several pedagogically “reasonable” purposes, including the promotion of “a more effective climate for learning,” “campus safety and security,” “school unity and pride,” and “modest dress. ” [53]

In the summer of 1999, controversy erupted in Florida when Polk County Schools Superintendent Glenn Reynolds suggested that parents could be jailed if they failed to comply with the new mandatory uniform policy. Reynolds stated that parents who allow their children to be dressed out of uniform are “contributing to the delinquency of a child,” before later retracting his comments. [82]

In Jan. 2000, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, which opposes school uniforms, represented a nine year-old student who was suspended twice for his refusal to wear a school uniform because it conflicted with his family’s religious beliefs. According to court records in Hicks v. Halifax County Board of Education, the student’s great-grandmother and guardian believed that “wearing a uniform demonstrates an allegiance to the spirit of the anti-Christ, a being that requires uniformity, sameness, enforced conformity, and the absence of diversity.” The school agreed to amend its school uniform policy to allow for religious exemptions. [54][55][59]

In May 2008, a three-judge panel of the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in Jacobs v. Clark County School District that the mandatory school uniform policy introduced by the Nevada district is constitutional. An 11th grade student and her parents had sued the district for refusing to allow her to wear a shirt displaying a message presenting her religious beliefs. The court ruled that the district’s uniform policy was not restricting any one viewpoint in particular, and that therefore the policy was “content neutral” and not an infringement of “pure speech.” [77]

In Feb. 2014, a three-judge panel of the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found 3-0 that the uniform policy of Roy Gomm Elementary School in Reno, NV may be unconstitutional, but sent the case back to a lower court for review. The panel ruled that the school’s insistence that its uniform shirts bear the motto “Tomorrow’s Leaders” may violate First Amendment rights because it “compelled speech. ” [56][57] No US states require school uniforms by statute and no states ban uniforms. Massachusetts law states that “School officials shall not abridge the rights of students as to personal dress and appearance,” but another section of the law stipulates that this provision applies only to cities and towns which “accept” it. [81]

Students at Charter Day School in Leland, North Carolina successfully challenged a uniform policy that prohibited girls from wearing pants or shorts to school. Judge Malcolm J. Howard of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina ruled in Mar. 2019 that the school’s stated desire to uphold traditional values and instill discipline had no connection to requiring girls to wear skirts, jumpers or skorts. That decision was reversed in 2021 by a panel of three judges in the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, only to be vacated by the full panel of judges. On June 14, 2022, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, voted 10-6 that Charter Day School violated female students’ rights by requiring them to wear skirts. The ruling stated the school “has imposed the skirts requirement with the express purpose of telegraphing to children that girls are ‘fragile,’ require protection by boys and warrant different treatment than male students, stereotypes with potentially devastating consequences for young girls.” [96] [98]

US Uniform Statistics

According to figures released in 2018 by the National Center for Education Statistics, the total number of public schools nationwide requiring students to wear school uniforms increased from 12% during the 1999-2000 school year to 21% during the 2015-2016 school year. [46] In 2015-2016, 25% of public primary schools enforced a uniform policy, as did 20% of public middle schools and 12% of public high schools. [46] A higher proportion of schools located in cities had mandatory uniforms in 2015-2016 than schools in suburban, town, and rural areas. [46] Mandatory uniforms were far more prevalent in “high-poverty” schools (in which 76% of students were eligible for reduced-cost or free lunch programs) than in “low-poverty” schools. [46]

Among the US cities with the highest use of school uniforms in public schools are Philadelphia (100% of schools), New Orleans (95%), Cleveland (85%), Chicago (80%), Boston (65%), and Miami (60%). [1][22] The number of schools with “strict dress codes” has also increased, from 47% in 2000 to 57% in 2010. [22]

School uniform articles

School uniform articles

What is Yunarmiya? History of the development of the movement.

The main stages in the history of the emergence of school uniforms

What fabrics are used for sewing school uniforms

School uniform fabrics

What school uniform is worn in Western countries?

School uniform is present in the life of almost every child.

How to dress a class in a school uniform so that parents are happy?

School uniform is not compulsory in the education system of the Russian Federation. However, it must be recognized that it is really important ….

Why do children dislike school uniforms?

Adults quite often face a situation where a child refuses to wear a school uniform. This can cause regular quarrels, because of which all family members will have a permanently spoiled mood.

What are Yunarmiya classes in schools? nine0003

In mid-2016, a new military-patriotic movement appeared in the Russian Federation. In a short time, units of the Yunarmia appeared in many cities of the country.

Do I need a school uniform? What are its advantages for the formation of personality

Is your child starting a new stage in his life – school? This is an important event not only for him, but for the whole family. Now the child will have new responsibilities, interests …..

What is the school uniform now worn in the former republics of the USSR?

During the Soviet Union, all schoolchildren in all republics wore the same uniform. Since then, many years have passed, for a long time in the former countries of the USSR there was no common school uniform at all.

How to make your school uniform look stylish?

Some parents worry that the child will not look stylish enough in school uniform….

What school uniform was worn during the Soviet era?

People whose childhood fell on the times of the USSR perfectly remember the school uniform they wore. However, not everyone knows that she has undergone changes several times.

nine0002 Caring for a cotton work robe: recommendations

A dressing gown for labor lessons also needs competent care, which is not difficult to provide.

Features of the implementation of the legislation on school uniforms in Russia

Currently, Russian legislation does not establish a uniform standard of clothing for students in secondary education institutions. However, schools and equivalent institutions

Description of the benefits of uniform school uniform

Today, many educational institutions are introducing a single standard for school uniforms. Clothing design for students, approved by the administration of the institution, helps to increase its prestige.

How to choose a color for a child’s school uniform

The number of schoolchildren increases every year. And sometimes parents, whose child is just entering the first grade, are confused, because they do not know what requirements are imposed on the appearance of students.

What fabrics are modern suits made of?

A suit is a special kind of clothing. It makes the image fit, stylish and elegant, helps to create a certain mood.

nine0002 What parameters determine the size of a school uniform?

If there is a student in your family, in any case, from time to time you have to buy a uniform for him.

On the purpose of the form for educational institutions

Every self-respecting educational institution, first of all, takes care of a characteristic sign that distinguishes a school or lyceum from a number of similar ones.

nine0002 Selection of clothing for secondary and special educational institutions.

How to choose a uniform for a teenage student

How to choose a school blouse for a girl?

How to turn a school uniform into stylish clothes?

School fashion is very static. This is its advantage and disadvantage at the same time, because sometimes you really want to diversify a strict everyday wardrobe with bright details. nine0009

Russian fabric “Lyceum” for school uniform

What should be the minimum set of school uniforms?

On the eve of the first of September, parents are faced with large financial investments in preparing their child for school: it is necessary to purchase ….

nine0002 What accessories can be worn with a school uniform?

Discreet accessories can be used to dilute the school look. This will help even within the framework of the school to look unusual and attractive.

What items of clothing are included in the wardrobe of modern schoolchildren

School is a temple of knowledge. School uniform and casual wear recommended for school hours. There is currently no uniform form on the territory of Russia ….

Considering the use of the emblem on school uniforms.

Many schools are switching to uniform student uniforms. A considerable number of educational institutions at the same time complement the set of clothes with the company logo

School Appearance Requirements for Students

nine0002 The color of the new school year is calm blue.

Blue color calms, relaxes, activates mental abilities. In addition, things of this shade are very practical: stains are practically invisible on them, which cannot be avoided in the daily use of clothes. That is why the blue color is recognized as one of the most suitable for school uniforms.

How is uniform uniform adopted in schools, how has the law affected it? nine0003

Relatively recently, the law on universal school uniform was adopted, repealed 30 years ago, in 1992. A single style of clothing is designed to equalize students among themselves…..

Tips for measuring your child’s figure

In order to order a school uniform that fits your child’s figure perfectly, it is important to take measurements correctly. Measurements are carried out manually using a centimeter tape. nine0009

School uniform: pros and cons

The USSR school uniform, familiar to many generations of schoolchildren, went down in history in 1990, when its compulsory wearing was abolished at the state level. Many students, as well as their parents, took this innovation positively.

Features of the selection of school uniforms for obese children

Among schoolchildren, there are often children who have a tendency to be overweight. And in this case, the choice of uniforms has its own characteristics. See the basic recommendations for finding costumes for overweight boys and girls below.

What are the styles of school sundresses

Modern school uniform is very diverse. Along with the usual skirts or dresses known since Soviet times, sundresses are on store shelves. nine0009

Vest as an element of modern school uniform

Many manufacturers of children’s school uniforms offer a wide range of three-piece suits. Such a set includes, as a rule, trousers (for girls – a skirt), a jacket and a vest.

What did the Soviet school uniform look like?

We all know that in the last century, the school clothes of students strictly complied with certain rules. Let’s see how Soviet children dressed and how the standards changed over time. nine0009

Why do I need a school uniform?

During the mass abolition of school uniforms, many Russians felt real nostalgia for the Soviet pure cashmere dresses, as well as the blue jackets worn by boys of that time.

What school uniforms look like in different countries of the world

The variety of school uniforms in different countries of the world fully reflects all the richness and originality of the national color. In this article we will talk about the bright and colorful world of student fashion. nine0009

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Article: Legal assessment of the ban on appearing in public places in clothing that hides the face
(Isaeva A.A.)
(“Russian Legal Journal”, 2019, N 6) Recently, the issue of wearing religious clothing in public places, in particular in educational institutions, has been updated. In our country, at the federal level, there is no official ban on wearing one or another type of clothing. However, in relation to the field of education in some regions, such bans have been introduced. According to Art. 38 of the Federal Law of 29December 2012 N 273-FZ (as amended on July 26, 2019) “On Education in the Russian Federation” in educational institutions, the requirements for students’ clothing, as well as the type of school uniform, are determined by the administration of the organization. State and municipal organizations that carry out educational activities in educational programs of primary general, basic general and secondary general education establish requirements for the clothes of students in accordance with the standard requirements approved by the authorized state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Thus, standard requirements for school uniforms are approved in the regions and may differ in each specific case. In some of them, students are prohibited from wearing religious clothing, clothing with religious attributes and (or) religious symbols, as well as hats in the premises of educational institutions.