However, most if not all public schools have some sort of a dress code. Some codes are stricter than others. While some schools require collared shirts others may allow T-shirts but restrict the wording on the shirts. These restrictions often lead to freedom of expression issues and the arguments are increasingly finding their way to the courts. It is a fine line that guides proper attire.
Kids often formulate their own dress codes on a subconscious level.
It is not usually a style that adults approve of and that is usually the point. Clothes don't make a person, although we as responsible parents must teach children that first impressions, right or wrong, do play a role in society. As they grow older and move into the professional world there will always be some limits and restrictions and it will be easier for them to adjust if we ease them into that fact now. The debate on school uniforms will continue and hopefully we won't allow ourselves to get too caught up in what everyone is wearing over the skin, but to focus instead on the shared uniform we wear under our skin. Diana Erbio is a freelance writer.