It is understandable that in school districts without uniforms, it is the duty of school authorities to enforce a dress code within schools. Courts have generally upheld the attempts of school authorities to regulate the dress of public school students and rule that dress codes have been continually enforced because they are viewed as necessary to promote discipline, maintain order, and secure the safety of the students (Ritter 24). Therefore, it is reasonable to accept rules designed to maintain modesty by regulating dress length or banning revealing styles due to the fact that it is essential to the orderly functioning of the school. However, it is a completely different issue when schools begin their arguments in favor of requiring

Another concern is that every child has the right to a free, public-school education, and that right cannot be conditioned upon revising with a uniform policy. That precedent was set in 1969 in the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District case, in which the Tinker children sued after being sent home for wearing black armbands in the protest of the Vietnam War. The U.S Supreme Court sided with the children in ruling that, "It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate" (Arnest 182). Unless they are expressing themselves in an unthreatening way that does not disrupt the school environment, then students have the legal right to choose how to dress.

Another "advantage" of enforcing school uniforms is that it instills discipline within the student body. Discipline procedures designed to uphold teachers' authority are likely to disrupt the teacher-student relationship and create hostility toward authority figures ("Personal Appearance" 181). If this "discipline" being referred to is the discipline created from fear of authority rules and figures, but understand that rules are created to give everyone equal rights and ensure the safely and well-being of society. A better way to instill this discipline is to teach students right from wrong, the purpose of rules, and the consequences if they choose to break those rules.

Ritter, John. "Uniforms Changing Culture of Nation's Classroom" USA Today. October 14, 1998. Social Issues Resource Series, April 1999.

There are many different reasons presented in the argument for school uniforms. One such reason is that it is an answer to solving the problem of school violence and theft. Four years ago in Long Beach, California, the public schools drew attention as the first in the nation to require students to wear uniforms ("Personal Appearance" 180). In President Clinton's speech in 1996, he urged uniforms as a way to keep teenagers "from killing each other over designer jackets". Long Beach schools report a 91% drop in assault, thefts, vandalism and weapon and drug violations since 1991. A Long Beach juvenile officer, Sgt. Joe Battle said, "Uniforms take away the number one reason kids treat each other differently; how they look" (Arnest 65

Some common words found in the essay are:
Monroe-Woodbury School, , President Clinton's, Personal Appearance, Heart Monroe, Supreme Court, Battle Uniforms, school uniforms, Beach California, District Tinker, USA October, dress codes, personal appearance, april 1999, believe school uniforms, students ritter, social issues, school district, public schools, students wear uniforms, real world, wearing school uniforms, designer jackets, school uniforms create, school uniforms help,
Approximate Word count = 1567
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)