Uniformly Sovling the Problem
	The sun was shining in Perfect High School the security guards looking out for suspicious activity among the students. A young male with baggy jeans and a colored bandana is being watched closely by the security guards. His every step constantly watched by the careful eyes of the guards. The young boy walks to the back of the school building, which causes the security guards to panic; they race to the back of the building stop the boy from proceeding any further. False alarm the boy was just going to the back of the building to trade baseball cards. While all the security guards were in the back a young girl about the same age as the teenage boy with the baggy jeans entered the school building and waited for the bell to ring. Unlike the other students, she wore a big baggy trench coat, and concealed in the coat was a rifle that belonged to her father. Since the security guards were preoccupied with the “gangster boy”, the lives of five students were taken away. Public schools from California to New York have adopted uniform policies in their school districts. The increase of gang related violence in the ninety’s has caused these public schools to either implement school uniforms or enforce a strict dress code. According William Celis of the New York Times “The National School Boards Association has estimated that approximately 135,000 guns are brought to the nation’s 85,000 public schools everyday” (Celis). This statistic occurred in 1994, which was almost a decade ago. Since then more and more schools have been adopting a uniform policy to control the problem. The biggest public school district to mandate school uniforms was the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD). The results of this district caused many schools to follow their example. The reason why the LBUSD has mandated the school uniform policy is that the school board believed that the uniforms would help decrease violence and discrimination and increase academic performance such as standardized test scores. This school district faced several problems, which dealt with amendment rights, and economic issues. Many parents and students did not like the idea of a uniform policy in Long Beach because of those issues. However as the years passed the uniforms greatly increased test scores and lowered violence in the schools. Uniforms acted quickly, and had improvements within a year. In Cape May Court House New Jersey, the Middle Township School District wishes to adopt a school uniform policy for their schools K-12. There is a debate to whether or not to implement this course of action to all the schools in this district. The school district wishes to adopt this policy because, the school board would like to increase their test scores and lower school violence. According to the superintendent of the Middle Township School District, Karen Buesing said, “There is no proof it’s a magical thing that improves discipline or academics, but it can connect the school with the community and build pride in our schools” (Gilfillian). The success of other schools has brought the idea of school uniforms to the administration of the middle township school district. The parents of students and the administration are reviewing the pros and cons of implementing school uniforms. The strong evidence of other schools with similar problems the Middle Township School District gives the school district an incentive to follow their footsteps. The schools in this district have not faced such atrocities such as Columbine High School in Colorado. However, there have been cases where the schools in this district that experienced such problems. According to Michael Diamond of the Press of Atlantic City, More than 130 incidents in 12 are school districts- serious enough to require police investigation- were never reported. They include trespassing arrest in Ocean city, vandalism offenses at Mainland Regional (Linwood Atlantic County) and a weapons arrest at Middle Township High School (Diamond). Other than Middle Township High School, there are schools in the area as well facing such problems, which is why the school and parents wish to implement this policy. New Jersey’s crime rate between the ages of fifteen and nineteen in 1996 were extremely high, around this time public school dress codes were being placed. As recent as the year 2000 the crime rate has dropped by thirty five percent. Many schools had high numbers of gang related violence throughout their campus. The rise in gang activities has led public schools to implement a uniform policy. According to Daniel L. Brunsma who writes an article in the Journal of Educational Research states, “Uniform advocates present several arguments. First, they contend that uniforms affect students’ safety by lowering student victimization, decreasing gang activity and fights” (Brunsma). Decreasing gang activity in public schools is one problem many administrators have problems solving. Many schools in New Jersey have adopted such a policy. The state has passed a law, which allows a school under certain conditions to have a dress code. The New Jersey Legislature passed a law endorsing but not mandating dress codes including uniforms. The state law says schools that implement uniform policies, however must provide assistance for economically disadvantaged students. Further, more, the policy is partially voluntary in that parents may choose not to comply with it. There are several considerations where the school does not have power over. For example, the freedom of self-expression, which many parents believe, is being deprived and religious rights, which may be violated. Academic performance has decreased across the nation; the cause is violent activity and discrimination among students. Studies shown many schools are not at a proficient level of education. According to a study by the1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), students from grades four, eight, and twelve in thirty-nine states in public schools, had poor results. More than fifty percent of each grade level was below the proficiency level. When compared to non public schools (these schools all had uniforms) only four percent were below the proficiency level. Although there is no direct correlation between uniforms and academic performance, these non public schools may have better teachers or better teaching methods. Yet there is a problem in the United States academic performance in public schools. In order to raise the academic performance such as test scores, schools adopted the uniform policy, which help raise scores. Many school administrators believe that uniforms help academic performance because it decreases school violence, discrimination. Many distinguished people such as former president William Jefferson Clinton is for school uniforms. According to Dr. Reginald Wilson, senior scholar at the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C. states, [f]rom surveys that I’ve looked at, I am inclined to believe that wearing uniforms makes quite a bit of difference in how people behave. I have read that violence has gone down in schools with dress codes, and I have been impressed by the difference. In those schools, wearing uniforms apparently worked in reducing violence (Jet, 1996). Schools in America have gone bad from previous years. Children are fighting over petty differences in clothing or students getting shot because they seem to be in a rival gang, are some problems students face daily across the nation. Horrific events such as the Columbine incident may have been prevented if the school were in control of the situation. I am a student who has graduated from a high school, which faced similar problems would be in favor of school uniforms for the Middle Township District. A psychologist named S.B. Kaiser stated in researched made on school clothing and its affect on students stated, [t]he wearing of uniforms affects students’ perceptions of school climate. Students are made to feel as if they are a part of a team by wearing a uniform. School climate is improved considerably because kids perceive that they fit in because they look like everybody else (Kaiser, 1985). This psychologist believed that clothing would do this before it was enforced in most public schools, an assertion that may seem too risky to say, yet the assertions are true. This is one of the causes that Middle Township wants to implement a uniform policy. The school district would see drastic improvements in their schools, like other schools who have experimented implementing school uniforms in their schools. Oakland, New York and especially Long Beach have positive results when adopting the uniform policy. According to St. John’s Community on line a statistic according to the Superintendent of LBUSD states, [w] ith a 98% compliance rate, results during their first years have proven the dramatic effect a successful school uniform policy can have on a school system. The first year alone they saw a 43% reduction in suspensions, 54% fewer fights, a 70% reduction in substance abuse, over 20% fewer cases of weapons possession and robbery, and over 50% reduction in battery against employees" (St. John’s Online Community). The school had ninety-eight percent of their students to agree to participate in the program and the results in violence have greatly decreased. Many teachers of this school district have noticed a boost in grades because of the school uniforms. In a recent interview with the principal of Wilson High School, a school in the Long Beach Unified School District claims, “The grades of students at this high school and many other schools in the LBUSD have increased due to the use of uniforms” (Hansen). When asked how the uniforms helped he stated, The uniforms help lower fights in the schools, in this school I notice as I go on my patrol around campus that students are united and not divided by brand name labels. Many teachers notice less stress in their students ever since the uniforms were introduced. The school has not had as much violence as before which I believe created a workable environment where students are able to work free, which had an impact on their education (Hansen). This school is a perfect example for Middle Township School District to implement their uniform policy. There may be economic factors, which may affect the actual implementing of the uniforms however, there are ways to overcome it. Many parents in New Jersey fear that they will have to pay more for uniforms, however not significantly true. As stated in the state legislature of New Jersey, the schools must provide assistance to economically disadvantage students. These funds to help students may be found by companies that would be willing to donate money to help these students. There are many positive outcomes in various schools across the nation but many are not buying the results. The schools that have implemented the school uniform policy have shown an increase of school academic performance and a decrease in violence; however were the uniforms the reason of this change or were other factors involved. According to Nadine Strossen president of the American Civil Liberties Union claims, “The ACLU opposes dress codes because they violate students’ rights, parent rights, and are completely ineffective in addressing serious educational and disciplinary challenges that face our schools” (Strossen). The rights of students and parents are one of the main concerns that come into action when a school wishes to implement a uniform policy. There are several schools that attempted to take on a uniform dress code; however, it has ended in disaster. Teenagers, parents held strikes against it, claiming their first and fourteenth amendment rights were being violated. These protests had forced the school to not follow through with the plan. If the uniform policy were to fail, great loss of money from taxpayers will lose money. One of the main causes of school uniforms is the increase of gang violence. Even though many parents and administrators wish to eliminate such a problem, there are many factors that come into play. Many parents and students believe their amendment rights will be denied, particularly freedom of free expression. This issue of censorship comes into place. By law, the Constitution gives the student rights to self-expression but when doesn’t the constitution protect students? Self-expression can be vague because people have unique personalities, and it could be hard to determine if it is protected under the Constitution. However, there were court cases that ruled out what a student claimed to be self-expression. The Bivins ex rel. Green v. Albuquerque Public Schools, 899 F.Supp.556 (D.N.M. 1995) is one case about a teen at Del Norte High School who believed that his First Amendment right of expression was being denied. The court ruled in favor of Albuquerque Public Schools because “sagging” pants is not considered speech for the First Amendment. Student rights are not being deprived what so ever. The First Amendment protects student’s right of expression or symbolic speech as long as it is an expression of one’s individual style. Cases such as that one in Albuquerque are some factors preventing school districts like Middle Township from implementing school uniforms. If the rights are not the problem, then the funds are the next big issue. Funding for school uniforms do not come at a low price. Tuition at private schools is expensive and the uniforms do not come cheap. Children that are in public schools may be there because their parents may not be able to afford private schools let alone school uniforms. This is a problem in establishing a uniform dress code at public schools. There are situations where uniforms may be given to students who cannot afford to buy uniforms. Schools may face this problem. If a parent cannot afford school uniforms, will the student be exempted from the uniform policy in New Jersey? The answer is no, the New Jersey Legislature states that schools must provide uniforms for economically disadvantaged students. Some schools would have problems funding for uniform, for example, the government could cut funds at schools because of a war going on. Situations like this could put the plan aside until money is made, but schools can get help from other organizations. Middle Township School District is mimicking the LBUSD as a model to start their policy. LBUSD was helped to be the first largest school district to implement a uniform policy in the process. According to the Journal of Educational Research, “To aid Long Beach students from financially disadvantaged families, philanthropic groups in the area provided $160,000 for their uniforms” (Journal of Educational Research). Long Beach students are perfect examples of how solve financial situations. Implementing a uniform policy can affect a number of people; these affected people can decide either to have or not to have a uniform dress code in public schools. First, in order to have a uniform policy funds satisfy the cost of the uniforms. Uniforms are not always entirely expensive there are some ranges from twenty to fifty dollars the whole year, nonetheless there are parents who will need financial aid to be able to have their children wear uniforms. Schools should be able to supply students who cannot afford uniforms or else the policy can fail from the beginning. Schools should know ahead of time if the uniform policy is affordable then once the school knows there will be funds they can get the parents of the students involved. The support of parents is critical for the policy to be successful. The parents are one of the strongest impacts on deciding to have schools mandate uniform policy. Keeping parents informed on every step is essential because if they feel like their rights will be violated then parents can input their ideas and opinions to make the policy work. Most schools have debates before hand when starting to implement a school uniform policy, Middle Township School District is currently debating whether or not to implement the uniform policy. The voices of parents must be heard or else the outcome of the policy could turn out negative and the policy would not work. The parents are important because they are the ones that help influence their children the positive impact uniforms can have. Parent involvement is important as student involvement, because the policy is directly affecting the students. A way to get students involved in making a uniform policy is to get their opinion get statistics, surveys from students about what they want. A great way for students to get involved is by giving little assignments with topics like “If we were to implement a school uniform policy how would you make it”, these would help out administrators create a policy that would satisfy both parents and students. The students can be a part of voting what style of uniform should be implemented this could lead to students in desiring school uniforms. There are more considerations that the school board must consider, for example religious rights. There are laws that allow students to express their religious beliefs. In 1995 the U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard W. Riley stated in a guide sent out to superintendents throughout the nation, which stated, Students may display religious messages on items of clothing to the same extent that they are permitted to display other comparable messages. Religious messages may not be singled out for suppression, but rather are subject to the same rules particular attire, such as yarmulkes and head scarves, during the school day is part of students’ religious practice, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act schools generally may not prohibit the wearing of such items (Riley). Schools have to understand that students have rights, which are protected, having a policy that goes against the rights of students can cause lawsuits against school district which can even lower the school district’s academic performance because the money put into the lawsuit can cause the school’s to cut back on funds for the students like new books. Once the legal and financial situations are handled, the school district would have to make a decision to have either a voluntary school uniform or a mandatory one, it has been shown that a mandatory uniform policy is more effective. For Middle Township School District, a mandatory uniform policy would be the best decision. Having a volunteer policy would not show results because if some students are only wearing the uniforms then the idea of an equal environment would not be attained. The Middle Township School District also should have an “opt out”, that is parental consent from the parents of students to not wear uniforms. This must be a valid reason, such as religious garments are not able to be worn because of the uniform. Long Beach Unified School District has an opt out program however many students don’t think doing it is worth the time. The uniform policy can take a while to take into place, ordering the uniforms, getting input from the parents, and solving legal issues. The process can take a couple of years also not considering results of grades and test scores will take a few more years. Yet the results of other schools should help Middle Township decide to whether or not to have this policy. The government has much power in the uniform policy as well for example a school wish to for bid a student from wearing an arm band and when it was taken to the court the court ruled for the student. In the case of Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. School Dist., 393 U.S. 503 (1969), a student wore an armband to represent her position on the war, the school tried to make her remove it however the courts ruled that the student had the right to wear the armband. This is an important case in handling uniform policies because it is always referred to when schools decide whether or not a student can wear certain items to express their rights. Cases like this can prevent uniform policies from forming because school officials would have a hard time deciding what students will be allowed to wear on their uniforms, so which is why uniforms are hard to implement in schools. The process of obtaining a uniform policy is very similar to all schools, which have successfully accomplished their goals. School districts across the nation have adopted such policies, places like California, Florida, Georgia, and Indiana are some of the states involved and large public school systems in Baltimore, Long Beach, Miami and other places have mandatory school uniforms. A superintendent in Baltimore claimed the success its district had with school uniforms, he said, “uniform wearing has eliminated brand-name envy and peer teasing of students who cannot afford designer clothing” (Curriculum Review, 1994). The schools have resulted in positive effects once the uniforms were placed. Many schools have implemented the uniform policy because of its success in school districts such as the triumph of the LBUSD. Middle Township should have very little problem in having a uniform policy if they take the simple steps similar to those of other schools, the district is heading the right way. As the former president William Jefferson Clinton stated in his state of the union address in 1996, “If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over de-signer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require students to wear school uniforms” (State of the Union Address, 1996).
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