Why School Uniforms Are Beneficial

School uniforms are used in many schools to provide and atmosphere of uniformity, pride, loyalty, and equality among the student population. Wearing school uniforms also makes the atmosphere more of a businesslike atmosphere by giving a better approach to learning. The uniforms increase ones sense of school pride, it gives less distractions, saves a lot of money for parents,and reduces peer pressure.

In my opinion one of the biggest problems for teenagers today in schools is cliques. Teenagers today now group themselves by who wears what and so on and so on. School uniforms would force students to get to know someone for who they are and not for what they are.When there are a lot less cliques there is a lot less hatred which leads to a lot less violence.

I think parents would also benefit from uniforms because of all of the money that they would save. Children that wear school uniforms spend less than students who don't wear the uniforms. Those who do wear school uniforms spend and average of $104 on clothing during the first three quarters and those who don't wear school uniforms spent an average of $185 (School Uniforms Get). Although the difference isn't that great, overtime a lot of money could be saved.

During the State of the Union address in January of 1996 by Bill Clinton said school uniforms are beneficial to all schools and the safety for our children. The president said "If it means teenagers will stop killing eachother over de-signer jacket then our public schools should be able to require students to wear school uniforms." Since Clinton's State of the Union seven states have now made school uniforms a law. One of the states is California. Long beach, California who started the law in 1994. Over 70,000 students from the grades kindergarten through eighth grade wore the uniforms. During the first year there was a 43% reduction in suspensions, fight within the school decreased by 54%, there was a 70% reduction of substance abuse, and 20% less cases of weapons (School Unifoms)

No one really knows exactly why the Columbine incident happened, but I have a hunch that maybe if those kids grew up with school uniforms then maybe it would have never happened. I know that might be a stretch of a guess, but with all of the facts we know it could be possible. Obviously the killers went after jocks and well rounded students. The jocks and good students take part in cliques which school uniforms would abolish.