How Can a Dress Code Protect My Child?

Whether or not our children should don uniforms to be educated is an issue that continues to be debated by parents and educators across our country on a daily basis. Whether the adoption of uniforms stifles their ability to express themselves as individuals is often a cornerstone of this debate, as is the cost of dressing a child in accordance with uniform or dress code restrictions.

However, in our society today the change to uniforms or specific dress codes among students has become a necessary evil. The debate about whether or not it stifles the creativity and sense of self of some students has become a moot point when dress codes become necessary to satisfy the safety of the students.

In many areas safety becomes an issue in dressing because of gang related activities. The fact that gangs are able to identify rival gang members simply based on the color of their clothing has made it necessary to make the switch to very strict dress codes in some areas. It does not guarantee the safety of children in these areas, but it does help take away one aspect of danger. It helps to control the visibility of gangs within our schools, and eliminates the ability of gang members to visually single out rival gang members within our schools based upon their clothing alone.

There is also the problem of the street value of certain types of clothing. When children are being mugged and sometimes even killed for an assailant to acquire an item of clothing that they have on, it is time to interject some sanity into what we allow our children to wear.

While many may argue that we are stifling a creative outlet by letting them have no say in what they wear, one could also argue that if every student in the school has on a pair of penny loafers, the chances of them getting held up for them are slim to none. We should be able to find alternative means for our children to express their creativity, and allow them the safety that dressing the same as their class members can provide.

The donning of uniforms for school also allows children to go to school without the added burden of being judged solely on the type of clothing that they wear. Often in schools without dress codes or uniforms, children are made fun of or picked on based on the brands of clothing that they wear, or cannot afford to wear.

If all the children in the school wear the same types of shirts, pants and shoes it leaves little room to define one's social standing on the basis of the types of clothing that they can afford. It forces our children to look at each other more objectively and make their decisions more on the type of person that another student is rather than the label blaring from their shirt or pants.

Dress codes and uniforms for students tend to be a very sore subject for many parents, children and educators across our country, and like many issues of this magnitude it is highly debated and beliefs have strong ties. However, if the issues of money and pride are set aside, then the true issues of safety and fairness can come to light in this issue. Dress codes and uniforms can allow all children a safer, less judgmental atmosphere for education, what can be wrong with that?