A few minutes before my bus’s arrival, I am still trying to decide what to wear. Many thoughts race through my head. Will they tease me because of my clothes? What will others think? Is this against the school dress code? It would be so much easier if we had school uniforms! Besides saving time in the morning, school uniforms would provide a safer and better learning environment by: stopping bullying based on clothing, eliminating any wearing of offensive clothing, and preventing judging of students due to the clothes they wear.
To begin with, I believe not having school uniforms increases the likelihood of bullying. Students who do not wear the popular brand or style of clothes often get bullied. Often these students have no choice or control over this fact because it may be due to their family’s inability to buy such items. Many surveys have shown that 39%1 of children bullied are bullied because of the clothing they wear. Thus, school uniforms would promote a safer learning environment by decrease this source of bullying.
Another reason schools should require school uniforms is to prevent the wearing of offensive clothing at school. Students would no longer risk accidentally or on purpose wearing offensive clothing if what they must wear is already decided for them. Offensive clothing is against the schools’ code of conduct, yet it is still worn and continues to cause distractions on a daily basis. These distractions disrupt the learning process, and school uniforms would decrease this source of distraction in classrooms and schools.
Thirdly, school uniforms would stop unfair judgment of people based on the clothing they wear. People wouldn’t judge or act prejudicially against others because they are not wearing the “in” thing, which has nothing to do with the type of person you are. They would have to make your acquaintance and get to know you before making any judgments. This would in turn promote a friendlier atmosphere that encourages people to learn about one another and hopefully also be more accepting.
Times are changing. Isn’t it time we change, too? The percentage of school uniforms being worn in American schools has risen 15%2 over the last fifteen years. Shouldn’t we join the rising percentage, and take a stand against bullying, offensive clothing, and judgments in our school systems? I believe school uniforms will help improve the chance of receiving a quality education and should be required in all of the county's public schools.