Kids Should Not Wear School Uniforms

The number of schools requiring students to wear school uniforms has been on the rise for the past couple of years. At public schools in the US, one out of every five has reported that students are required to wear uniforms from 2013-2014, as compared with one in eight requiring uniforms from 2003-2004. And with the rise in this school policy, so follows the continuation of the debate on whether kids should or should not be required to wear uniforms. Personally, I firmly believe that children should not be forced to wear uniforms because I feel that parents should be allowed to chose what their child wears, and school uniforms rob students of their individuality. However, while researching the topic, I found some information that while possibly …show more content…
Everybody dresses differently, and through the clothes they wear, kids are able to portray who they are to society. The requirement for school uniforms looks more towards the conformity of children than who they really are, and by limiting a child’s creativity through their clothing, could retard their creativity in general. Personally, after attending middle school some short three years ago, I have experienced the impact of school uniforms on who I am. When I was finally able to chose my own clothing after being required to wear uniforms, the clothes that I chose were very childish. While on the other hand, my sisters, who did not go to schools where they had to wear uniforms had a more mature sense of fashion than I did. In a survey conducted by the US Department of Education, they show how parents express the same view. In their survey on whether parents support school uniforms, 34% of parents felt that school uniform policies “has hindered self expression and creativity”. But even though I do not support school uniform policies, statistics showing that they reduce crime in and out of school should be …show more content…
As reported by schools in Long Beach, CA, having children wear uniform has greatly dropped the crime rate in their location. After implementing school uniforms in 1995, the overall crime rate dropped by an astounding 91%. More specifically, suspensions dropped by 90%, sex offenses by 96%, vandalism by 69%, and assaults in grades k-8 dropped by 85%. Even though there may not be a direct link between the implementation of school uniform policies and the decline in crime rates as occurred in Long Beach, the statistics supporting that it does are important to consider before choosing