should schools wear school uniform? (Research Paper Sample)

Should school wear school uniform? Name Course Professor Date Introduction Just like the names suggest, school uniforms are worn by learners for an educational institution. In most countries, uniforms are worn in both elementary and high schools. According to Penttiten (2011), clothing is considered as school uniform when it meets a number of criteria. This includes when it acts as team emblem, certifies the legality of an institution through uncovering the comparative position of an individual and repress individuality. The question of whether students should wear school uniforms attracts heated debate. Some strongly support the idea, while others vehemently oppose the school uniform policy. This research affirms that controversies surround the cons of the school uniform policy. Three premises Premise 1: “School uniforms may improve attendance and discipline” The premise assumes that both boys and girls are disciplined in the same manner in connection to school uniforms. However, this is far from the truth, since the third gender is not considered. Notable, the number of transgender students is significant. Hence, the group must be considered in any decision making and policy implementation process. However, the transgender students are the victim of school uniform policies. They are often sent away for wearing clothing that differs from the likely legal sex. Others are expelled from the yearbooks. This affirms that school uniform promotes discrimination, which reduces class attendance. Further, discrimination negatively affects the discipline of the affected students. This is because most school uniform policies do not outline guideline specifics to gender. Thus, for the argument that the school uniform policy improves discipline to be true, all-inclusive school uniform policies must be implemented. Premise 2: “Students' legal right to free expression remains intact even with mandatory school uniforms”. This idea is outstanding since it does not draw any connection between freedom of speech and clothing. However, it is clear that school uniform restricts the students’ ability to express their personality. This is because clothing is commonly perceived as a way of expression. Thus, policies that force students to dress in school uniform interrupt their sense of distinctiveness. The school uniform policy hinders the students from dressing in the trending fashion. Further, in the case of Canady v. Bossier Parish School Board, parents were against the implementation of the dress code rule since it failed to put into consideration religious preferences (United States Court of Appeals, 2001). This has, however, seen students put on apparels that express their religion. Most state regulation and constitution safeguards the students’ rights to wear religious attire in schools. For instance, some schools allow Muslim students to cover their head and wear trousers to cover their legs. Others wear turban and yarmulke. The only condition that can make ‘legal right remain intact’ argument true is the existence of effective school uniform policy accounting for various religious preferences. Premise 3: “Wearing uniforms enhances school pride, unity, and community spirit”. This argument affirms that school uniform brings a sense of belonging and unity. However, the school uniform policy does not have any significant impact on the social dynamic of the learning institution. This is because students always find a way of expressing the individuality. This is mainly achieved through minor modification of the school uniform (Da Costa, 2006). For instance, some girls ti...