Should Public schools switch to uniforms?

Yes. My boys went to a school and had to wear uniforms. They have also gone to schools and didn't have to wear uniforms. I liked the uniforms.

Lots of schools have a uniform exchanges also. My son's school did. You could buy any piece for $1.00 or bring X number of pieces and exchange it for the same number.

The best part of the exchange was most people used that when their kids grew out of a size during the year. So they brought in all the grown out of uniforms and exchange them, and the cost was $ zero!

I was made fun of for what I wore, generic clothes. I couldn't afford $50 Guess? jeans. I came from a poor, single parent family.

Who is going to pay for the uniforms? Currently, public schools in my area are sending home lists of school supplies with kids, and they show up with whatever is on their list, then the teacher throws everything in a pile and rations out all the supplies for the class.

personally, I don't think that is fair, Why should one parent who is barely making it pay for another child's supplies because their parent knows they don't have to buy supplies? Not that I believe most people are like this, I just happened to work with a lady that did just that, she only bought enough supplies for one child and expected her other child to be provided for.

Uniforms are great for keeping distractions/teasing down, but somebody is going to bear the brunt of the cost. "Forgive my uniform loan!"

You'd still by school clothes if they wore regular clothes. The uniforms are usually subsidized for people who make less income.

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I had a friend in private school, and saw her uniform catalog. Those prices were NOT comparable to Kmart prices. My single parent owned the house we lived in, so we didn't fall into the qualifications for free/reduced school lunches. I would have to believe we wouldn't have qualified for subsidized uniforms.

I know I wasn't the only family like that.

Yep! My son was in uniforms for a couple months (tried a private school, he HATED it) and it was expensive. I can see over the long run it saving money, but I had to pay for his uniforms, which were way more expensive than the clothes I buy him at Old Navy, AND had to make sure he has weekend clothes, shoes, etc. Uniforms can save money over time, I'd imagine, but going out and buying 5 uniform shirts and 5 pairs of uniform shorts so I wasn't doing laundry every day, that cost me twice as much as buying the same amount of clothing for non-school days.

I just have to say that it's hardly necessary that they have one uniform for every day. They're in school, not doing manual labor. Two pairs of pants would be fine. Shirts may be different, they get dirtier a little easier with BO and stuff. The need to have a completely different outfit every day is a very modern, and first world, idea. Used to be kids had school clothes, a set of very nice clothes, and play/work clothes.

And as for many people talking about the cost, many of the public schools where I live have "uniforms," but it's really a standardized dress code. We're not talking prep-school uniforms - just plain khaki or blue pants, a few choices of colors for polos, and no logos allowed. You can buy those anywhere and many, many companies now specifically market these types of close near the start of the year as school "uniforms." Additionally, many schools will ask parents to donate clothing when their child grows out of it so they can maintain a clothing bank, unless there's a younger sibling. Since all the clothes look the same, no one would know if a kid bought it new or not.

I understand wanting to express yourself, but students are distracted enough in school, and generally don't take it very seriously. There are many ways of demonstrating personality, individuality, uniqueness, whatever you want to call it. No one's identity should be tied to their clothing choices so much that they feel a loss of it if they have to go to school (or work) wearing clothing that they wouldn't wear at home or out on the town.

The parents opposed the measure because they wanted their kids to be able to "express" their individuality. Not through art or music or anything stupid like that! Oh no, through a pair of $120 Miss Me jeans that all of the other bratty little girls have, too. It's ridiculous. The parents use the kids to flash their money and the kids who don't have that money get made fun of.

This is the reason that I am glad my children are out of school. Some people just should not be teachers.

I don't think it is about individuality as much as requiring children to think and make decisions for themselves from an early age.
Also, my children were active and clothes did not get worn twice. Body odor stays with the clothes and gives kids something to tease you about.

I never got teased for not having brand name something or other. I wore 90% hand me downs and I made the stuff I was given look cute. My brother got made fun of for wearing a belt in his overalls, but that's not really about brands, now is it?

around here, there are uniforms sold everywhere!!! and they are far less expensive than name brand if you choose khols or target.

i would LOVE for my kids' school district to go to uniforms! life would be so easy :-)

i already stick to khaki pants, shorts, skirts for my girls and then a bunch of shirts in different colors. i get the pants in the uniform section of khols and target. they are much less expensive than going to gap!

and even if you do buy at a place like the gap or gymboree, the uniform clothes are still less expensive than the newest line of their clothes!

I was made fun of for what I wore, generic clothes. I couldn't afford $50 Guess? jeans. I came from a poor, single parent family.

Who is going to pay for the uniforms? Currently, public schools in my area are sending home lists of school supplies with kids, and they show up with whatever is on their list, then the teacher throws everything in a pile and rations out all the supplies for the class.

personally, I don't think that is fair, Why should one parent who is barely making it pay for another child's supplies because their parent knows they don't have to buy supplies? Not that I believe most people are like this, I just happened to work with a lady that did just that, she only bought enough supplies for one child and expected her other child to be provided for.

Uniforms are great for keeping distractions/teasing down, but somebody is going to bear the brunt of the cost. "Forgive my uniform loan!"

Public Schools should be closed period!!!! Give me my damn tax money back. Look at L.A. Unified, 72% drop out rate; and Chicago ? You got to be kidding me and all I hear is "give us more money from those damn unions" GTF off my paycheck and teach someone to count!!!! All schools should switch to either Charter or Private!!! I had to "fight" for my kids right to get educated in this thing they call "public school"

My kids used to go to a charter school where they had to wear uniforms. Now that we've moved they're in regular clothes and man what a pain in the ba-hookey. I have to buy tons more clothes it feels like. And my 11 year old daughter came home after her first week here and told me, "mom, this girl in my class dresses like a hoochey."

On the one hand: yes. Makes life about 100 times easier, saves money, takes away that "you don't have the latest brand name" competition stuff.

On the other hand: I wore uniforms from K-8th grade (Catholic school). Ok, we all had the same clothes on. Well, that just meant the kids in middle school had to find a different reason to pick on you or make fun of you. You don't have a cool backpack. You don't have the coolest shoes. Your parents don't drive a nice car. You don't live in the nicest neighborhood, etc. The uniforms did literally nothing to cut down on the have picking on the have nots...at least in my experience (I was considered a "have not" with the rich kids I went to school with. My mom was the principal so I got free tuition, and other kids could get scholarships...those kids got picked on for being "poor" too.)

When I got to public high school (I chose to go public, I'd rather have killed myself than spend another 4 years with those snobby brats), I was SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY that I got to wear whatever I wanted (within dress code rules). I didn't realize how totally isolated from fashion and personal expression I had been my whole life! My family wasn't rich, we weren't poor, just comfortable, and although I didn't have all the latest brands or whatever (unless I had done a particularly good job at sweet talking my dad into something), I never got made fun of for my clothes in high school. I got made fun of for being in the show choir lol.

This!! I went to Catholic school through 8th grade. Elementary was a different style then middle school. I was picked on throughout both of them. Middle school was simple as black pants/jeans and white blouse or polo. When I transitioned to public school, I still wasn't a cool kid, but wasn't singled out nearly as much and found a larger group of friends to identify with (ie: accepted me for ME).

The parents opposed the measure because they wanted their kids to be able to "express" their individuality. Not through art or music or anything stupid like that! Oh no, through a pair of $120 Miss Me jeans that all of the other bratty little girls have, too. It's ridiculous. The parents use the kids to flash their money and the kids who don't have that money get made fun of.

This is the reason that I am glad my children are out of school. Some people just should not be teachers.

I don't think it is about individuality as much as requiring children to think and make decisions for themselves from an early age.
Also, my children were active and clothes did not get worn twice. Body odor stays with the clothes and gives kids something to tease you about.

Wow...way to totally miss the point. And insult my character while you're at it! The point was the kids DON'T make the decisions. Their moms and dads do. There are absolutely other ways to encourage decision-making skills. Like in the classroom, about important subjects, for example. Out-dressing each other is an unnecessary skill. Period. The parents where I teach are nouveau riche soccer mom types who flash their money on their kids' backs. Unless you know of 12 year olds who go shopping by themselves for every piece of clothing they own I'm not sure how you can conclude that the parents aren't a major influence on the clothing choices.

Also, body odor? I was an extremely active kid, sweated a lot and never had this issue. Because I washed my clothes each time I wore them. Problem solved. It would apply exactly the same way with standardized dress polos. And 5 generic uniform polos are A LOT cheaper than 5 off-the-rack name brand shirts.

Try taking away the individuality of adults and see what happens to society. :noway:
Don't do it to our children either.

I totally agree. I'm an ED major and I don't want to teach a bunch of clones. It also isn't cost effective at all. I remember being teased for not wearing the right things growing up but you just have to teach your kids to be individuals and to never buy into the latest fad.

I think that uniforms help teach kids how to dress. They are used to dressing in what would be considered appropriate for a job instead of being dressed for a field trip.
I went to a school that had a stricter dress code and when I graduated I had clothes in my closet that I could wear for a job.

Excellent point. Most people, not all but most, have to wear a "uniform" of sorts to work when they are adults. We get to express ourselves through dress on the weekends and every day that's not a work day. So why is this not a valuable skill to teach kids in order to prepare them for the real world? Yeah, not being able to wear my sweats to work every day is a bummer, but it's also real life for most of us.

Here in Aussie all schools have uniforms.....When kids leave school and get a job, most places have uniforms.......Do you think that workers shouldn't have uniforms?????

hellz no

Absolutely not. Children need to develop a sense of individualism. But there should be some form of dress code. Dress codes are going to be a part of life in a lot of jobs, so it is preparation for the future.

It does not cut down on bullying either. Do you know what cuts down on bullying? Actual disciplinary standards. Most schools (public or private) are way too light on the discipline. I think there should be more suspensions. And if these suspensions cause kids to fail classes and they have to stay back, so be it. That'll teach them not to be a-holes.

HEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL NO! Or not until I graduate, I used to go to private school we had to wear uniforms Monday-Thursday, but got to wear our clothes on casual Friday, I just feel like it stifles individuality, and lets face it they're often a terribly bland color and way too formal (girls had to wear heels Mon-Thur and tie our hair up every day), I love choosing my outfit everyday, It's an awesome part of being a girl (or stylish guy o.o).