Dress code

            Dress Codes In Public Schools The dress code in public schooling has been a controversial issue lately, both in Massachusetts and nation-wide. I feel some type of dress code would cut down some of the everyday problems that schools have today. A dress code in public schooling would be a good idea because it would reduce violence, eliminate the problem of wearing hats or jackets in school, and make school more of an academic atmosphere, and less of a social one. In this paper, I will discuss why a dress code would be a good thing for public schools to have. A dress code would eliminate many problems including violence that occurs everyday in school. For example, if a simple shirt and tie with dress pants were worn by boys, and some type of skirt or dress for girls, baggy clothing would be eliminated which could hide weapons such as guns or knives. Fights also break out in schools because of the way students dress. Negative comments are often made at school by students about their classmates' clothing which provokes fighting. Obviously, some type of dress code would stop this. Studies show that a dress code reduces violence and makes students behave better because it makes everyone equal, bringing all of the students to the same level: "A dress code brings us together, like an athletic team. We're unified, we stand for the same things," said Bob Sanders, 57, a teacher at Antioch Christian Academy in Oklahoma City (David 2). Principal of Minneapolis' West Central Academy believes that uniforms help the school meet five goals: foster greater school pride, enhance self-esteem, improve school attendance, reduce suspensions and improve school climate (Washington 1). The number of suspensions in Long Beach, California, which now requires uniforms for students, dropped 32 percent. Every category of infraction - from assaults to drug use to sex offenses- has fallen. Teachers and administrators in the Long Beach also believe most students perform better academically because of the uniforms, making school more of an academic atmosphere (Pertman 2).