Dress Code in School - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Are you a liberal? Are you a conservative? Whatever be your political leaning or personal belief, I am sure every one of you will agree with me that school safety is of paramount importance to society. The provision of a safe study environment takes precedence over self-expression. In these days of unequivocal liberalism, when the least hint of curtailment of individual rights is immediately condemned as authoritarianism, I defiantly stand here before you in support of a uniform dress code in schools. I am aware that many of you will equate a uniform dress code with the stifling of creativity and the freedom to self-expression. But this is a very simplistic way of looking at the issue. The school is the primary and most crucial factor in the educational process of an individual. It is here that the moral foundation and intellectual capabilities of the child are built up. Schools must be differentiated from society at large, and special rules applied here. In this context, it is crucial that the school environment is totally focused on learning, and all extraneous factors are eliminated. ...
This factor is of great significance in keeping students under secure supervision. Conversely, uniforms make it easy to identify any trespassers on school property. This is a very effective safeguard against the entry of anti-social elements into the school campus and the disruption of discipline. School uniforms eliminate the possibility of ignorant students inadvertently wearing gang colors, or other gang-related items of clothing, and being exposed to attacks by opposite gangs as a result of this. The use of gang attire is completely eliminated on campus. The uniform does away with badges of gang identity, such as aggressively painted jackets, bandannas, or chunky jewelry. Expensive and fashionable clothes are often the cause of inciting less privileged children to resort to theft and violence. In the same way, emphasis on fashionable dressing may lead to competition among students and result in violence. School uniforms as unequivocally “competition reducing” (Kraft, 2003). In some cases, fashion accessories and clothes are used as weapons or as a means to conceal weapons. (Paliokas, n.d.). The use of hooded sweatshirts, as a deliberate way to avoid detection after acts of vandalism in school, is a pointer in this direction. It is clear that school safety justifies the implementation of a uniform dress code. Self-esteem is a major issue for all school-going children. American school reports show that “students base the worth of peers on the kinds of clothes that are worn but distinctions in worth were not noted when the entire school population was dressed in uniforms” (King, 2002. qtd. in Kraft, 2003). The major link between self-esteem and clothes is the fact that clothes emphatically proclaim income disparities, and become the basis of ‘labeling,’ Those students who have difficulty keeping up with the latest trends and fashion styles, risk being teased and bullied by their better-dressed peers. Student identities are often defined by the clothes they wear – not only by fellow students but also by teachers. As a teacher reports, “I could always immediately identify my less affluent students by what they were wearing.  ...Download file to see next pagesRead More