Should schools have a Uniform

I am arguing that school uniforms should never be in place at a school. I will look at this from three aspects: the legal aspect, the interpersonal aspect, and the intrapersonal aspect. Firstly, school uniforms infringe upon the individual's constitutional right to express themselves. In the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (7-2, 1969), ruled that everyone, including minors, have the right to express themselves. They also ruled that though the students were on the public school campus, they still had that right under the First Amendment. Not only should schools not have uniforms, they cannot by law have uniforms. School Uniforms also don't provide any benefits in any way. This is a direct passage straight from the article "Pro & Con Arguments: "Should Schools Adopt School Uniforms?" that states and provides proof for the negative effect of the school uniform policy: "A 2007 peer-reviewed study found that "school uniforms increased the average number of assaults by about 14 [per year] in the most violent schools." A 1999 Texas Southern University study found that school discipline incidents rose by about 12% after the introduction of uniforms. According to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Office of Education Evaluation and Management, fights in middle schools nearly doubled within one year of introducing mandatory uniforms. David L. Brunsma, PhD, Professor of Sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), co-authored a study that analyzed a national sample of 10th graders and found "no effects of uniforms on absenteeism, behavioral problems (fights, suspensions, etc.), or substance use on campus" and "no effects" on "pro-school attitudes, academic preparedness, and peer attitudes toward school." Brunsma also found a "negative effect of uniforms on academic achievement," and later found that uniforms were equally ineffective on elementary students and eighth graders. A 2009 peer-reviewed study found "no significant effects of school uniforms on performance on second grade reading and mathematics examinations, as well as on 10th-grade reading, mathematics, science, and history examinations... [I]n many of the specifications, the results are actually negative."" This has scientific proof that if school uniforms relate at all with the behavior of the minors in school, it has a negative effect. Also, the pro side of this debate may argue that school uniforms disavow socioeconomic differences. However, within two months, the people who can only afford one school uniform have a tattered uniform, only emphasizing the socioeconomic difference. Again, in a 2007 survey of the Long Beach Unified School District reported: "81% of middle school students said uniforms did not reduce fights, 76% said they did not help them fit in at school, 69% said they did not make them feel more connected with the school community, and 71% said they felt no safer traveling to and from school." Lastly, school uniforms effect the student's view of themselves. They can have a detrimental effect on a person's self-image. School uniforms allow students to compare themselves to one another much easier, and most often provides a less-than-encouraging statement to the students. Also, it encourages conformity rather than diversity. The United States of America is based upon diversity. Without it, we would not be the same country today, and most likely not even a country. They might be learning about Booker T. Washington or Rosa Parks, who changed their country through being different, when they are not even allowed to express themselves in a different way than one another. Citations: "Pro & Con Arguments: "Should Schools Adopt School Uniforms?"." Pro & Con Arguments: "Should Schools Adopt School Uniforms?". Mychandlerschools, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016. "Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District." Oyez. Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Tech, n.d. Mar 14, 2016. <https://www.oyez.org...;