Effects of School Uniforms on Violence and Discipline

Effects of School Uniforms on Violence and Discipline
While seemingly an issue of the past, school dress code rules are still being implemented in public schools around the nation. Originally starting in the Southern California districts, uniform use has been extended to many schools around the country, with experts saying that it has drastically reduced violence and improved student behavior and discipline. Other reasons for implementation of uniforms have been to prevent gang activity, to help students resist peer pressure, to encourage students to focus on schoolwork rather than fashion, and also to help school officials recognize intruders that infiltrate the school grounds (Cruz). Since years before uniform use, school violence and crime have been shown to have decreased at a rapid rate. On the other side of the debate though, there are opponents of mandatory dress codes as well. They explain that no solid evidence has been shown that relates a reduction in violence directly to actual issuing of the dress code, and that it could be due to any number of factors. Those factors include zero-tolerance or “one-strike� policies, heightened campus security and supervision, and peak statistics of violence that were read

There are even school developed assistance plans available to students who may not be able to afford uniforms. Used uniforms are also donated back to the school to help these needy families. Uniforms may give students a chance to focus less on their attire, and maybe bit more on the day ahead of them or schoolwork and assignments.

whether they reduce school violence or not. In some startling statistics, it was shown that a year after uniform implementation in Long Beach schools, school crime decreased by 36 percent, fights by 51%, sex offenses by 74%, weapon offenses by 50%, assault and battery by 34%, and vandalism by 18% (Noll). Dick Van Der Laan of the Long Beach Unified School District, when asked his opinion on the statistics, stated: “We can't attribute the improvement exclusively to school uniforms, but we think it's more than coincidental. There's less conflict among students. Students concentrate more on education, not on who's wearing $100 shoes or gang attire.” With such statistics at hand, it is hard to argue that the decrease in violence is not related to uniforms, although it cannot be proven with much if any prolonged data (Noll).

Uniforms may also heighten discipline in public schools, and provide a sense of unity between students (Cruz). Uniforms usually consist of either a collared shirt or t-shirt with the school's name on the front, and khaki or corduroy bottoms, both of which commonly represent the school's colors. With students having such limited attire, it cancels out being wrongly picked on or “bullied” based on students who can afford to wear a brand name versus students who may not be able to afford such luxuries. On