School Uniforms 4
School uniforms are creeping back into the classroom as a way to bring back a sense of community and promote a better learning environment in schools. Proponents have linked school uniforms to fewer behavior problems and higher academic achievement while also promoting school pride and self-esteem. The practice began in Long Beach, California, five years ago, and the schools there have seen a sharp drop in vandalism and crime. In the past few years several other major US cities have also taken up the practice including; Chicago, Dallas, Sacramento, Phoenix, Seattle, Kansas City, Memphis, and Baltimore. All of these cities have seen the same effects from the introduction of uniforms as the Long Beach experiment has shown. Last year, the Board of Education for the nation's largest school system in New York voted unanimously to recommend that elementary-school pupils start wearing uniforms, although they will not be mandatory. Individual schools will be allowed to decide whether to have uniforms, and at schools where uniforms are adopted, parents will have the final choice on whether their child will wear a uniform. For those who can't afford the uniforms, financial aid will be available. Board of educa
On the other hand, some parents and students say the money would be better spent on books, and that a uniform dress code will stifle, not stimulate creativity. The New York Civil Liberties Union has promised to sue if any student is coerced into wearing a uniform or punished for not wearing one. On the national front the ACLU has also taken up against the adoption of school uniforms. Loren Siegel, director of the public education department of the ACLU, has written; "The call for school uniforms is not constructive because it is a Band-Aid solution to a set of serious problems that defy easy answers. There is something profoundly cynical about our political leaders promoting uniforms in the face of crumbling school buildings, overcrowded classrooms, and dwindling education funds." The ACLU has suggested two major elements for uniform policies: (1) that they have an opt-out provision, and (2) there is financial aid for those families who cannot afford uniforms. Due to pressure from the ACLU, most school districts that have adopted uniforms have adopted these elements into their policies. There are also free speech concerns. Some feel that there are serious First Amendment problems with a mandatory uniform policy such as the Long Beach, Calif. mandatory policy. Opponents say "Uniforms rule out the possibility of students wearing clothing with messages on them. Mandatory policies forbid students from making cultural statem
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Approximate Word count = 970
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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