UNIFORMS ESSAY

          Dear Richard O’Malley,

       Being free is just as vital as being diverse. According to Supreme Court Justice, Charles Evans Hughes, “When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free.” The certainty of this statement is repeated in the current proposal recommended to the School Board of Education, to issue school uniforms for students in grade Kindergarten to 12^th grade, and if approved, making the intellectual performances increase throughout the school year. This decision involving compulsory uniforms would not be a thought through conclusion and by far has several shortcomings. It is in the benefit of the Board of Education not to issue uniforms due to their price, decline on distinctiveness and the lack of evidence to progress academic scores.

        Setting a uniform policy, will result in having households to compensate for costly uniforms. Although parents will only need to acquire two or three sets of uniforms, this will be adequate for one student and will take the attention of one’s clothing and instead will turn the focus to their studies and academics. However, in addition to the cost of uniforms, parents and guardians must also purchase regular clothes, making the concluding sum an unreasonable charge for clothing. Therefore this confirms that school uniforms are not necessary in education.

       With all district schools wearing uniforms, the diversity and individualism will be eliminated. In the matters of safety, gang members won’t be able to exhibit their colors and intruders will be evidently be perceptible among the students, however, there will be no uniqueness that separates kids from others. Without uniforms students can convey their natural inner feelings and also be able to show their talents. Nevertheless, uniforms hold students back to express themselves and hence are not needed in the school environment.

      With the Board of Education wanting students to come to school in uniforms will have its advantages and disadvantages. People often think with uniforms academic performances will increase, since there will be less distractions regarding the attention to other students clothing. In contrast, study shows that when comparing schools with a uniform policy to other schools, there was no dramatically improvement in neither academic scores nor student proficiency.

     It is in the best welfare of the students not to make uniforms obligatory for students in grade K-12. The Board of Education does not need a luxurious place that eradicates individuality and affects little on academic performances and the endorsement of safety. To disregard out towns future and present students would be a non productive attempt to make our schools a better place.

        Sincerely,

       Hadia Malik