I am for uniforms, because my children go to a private school, and we are not in a position to buy them the latest from Nordstroms. The problem we ran into was finding the appropriate shorts to go under their uniforms so our daughters would stop accidentally flashing everyone. So, as of this Jan. we started making the shorts and now our friends and family are buying them and we started a website! http://smartiepantsapparel.com

The school should be allowed to set it's own dress code. If this were a free market, you would be free to go to a school (or home school) that had a dress code you were comforable with.

A big 'fuck you' dedicated to St. Patrick's Elementary School and all the nuns. Thanks for the green/navy pants and white dress shirt, and that stupid fucking clip-on tie.

If you sign up to go to a private school, then you have to abide by what they mandate.

I don't like the idea of school uniforms, but this should ultimately be left up to the school.

I think that School uniforms shouldnt be worn. Most of the uniforms are uncometable and you just cant relax

This shouldn't be dealt with so much..but sometimes I think it would be better for people who are stupid enough to pick on someone  because of their clothes and then no one would get picked on because of it.

I think we should have to wear school uniforms
Brandi Buchwald
breybreybratz@yahoo.com

While it's not the War in Iraq. It should not be dismissed.
"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Maynard_Hutchi ns.) What better way is there to dissolve the civil liberties of a nation than to take those liberties away from children so that they are raised without an awareness or expectation of ever having them? "If the rights of society's most vulnerable members are denied, everybody's rights are imperiled." http://www.aclu.org/about/index.html

Another red-herring issue, cooked up to provide simple minded band-aid solutions to complex issues, and distract attention from the general failure of the administration on several key issues.

I know there are issues that are probably less important than this one, but I can't imagine what they are...

i personally dont like the idea of school uniforms. i am in school now, so that may make me think this way. but it think they (who ever that may be...) should stricken the dress code. some of the things people wear. like shirts with those terrible bands with the spikes comin out of there heads. and those damned baggy pants. these ppl even have belts half the time. learn to use them the right way. but the girls i dont have a problem with.. mainly because the skimpier, the better. but yea, come on im a 16 year old guy. what do you expect?

School uniforms are a great idea, it instills dicipline, it avoids class or gang problems and the kids look good. Schools around the world have had uniforms for years and no one has had as much problem with it as we do in the states. Parents no longer have worry about what there kid is going to wear, or one gets bullied for beinging different and it builds a sense of unity and spirit in a school.

If we're trying to teach kids to become good citizens, mandatory government uniform is probably one of the worst possible things to do.

Here's the thing, I'm not against school uniforms but I don't think it is an important U.S. political issue. I think this is best settled within school districts because it is just to improbable for the U.S. government to even think of implementing a national school uniform. Superintendants would be outraged, principals would revolt and parents would be angered beyond belief. I can just see it now, yeah, this is not such a great idea besides the fact that it is just not that important. The future of the country does not ride on whether or not the children of America have to wear pleated skirts or ties to school. It just doesn't matter that much.

no way. it's bad enough adults have to wear ties. although i dont wear one. no uniforms and let kids have some idea of freedom before they become adults and the rug is pulled out from under them. but, i think kids today should wise up. quit killing each other and talking on cell phone like you're all gangstas or Paris Hiltons. perhaps people would get off your case then. and then you can get older and come to the bar and hang out with Skizero. he'll be in his drunks uniform.

this is a very good coment because they should let us have are freedom

As most of you guys know, I'm from the UK and its standard for us to have a school uniform until we hit college. The reason why we have uniforms (apart from the fact that its tradition) The good thing about wearing a uniform is that through this practice is that you actually develop your personality more and the way that you communicate as you can't through clothing. Contary to belief - there are still class and gang problems, I was at the butt of them quite often. Only because you have a uniform on, it doesn't mean that you become polite individuals - as I pointed out above, you develop your personality, which might mean being the class bully and being part of a gang. Another good reason for a school uniform is that if you are from a poor family, it doesn't show through your clothing as you are all wearing the same attire. In terms of US politics, I don't think this even hits the bottom of the list considering whats going on in Iraq and the concequences of 9/11 and other more pressing matters.

When I was in high school a threat of this came up once, although luckily nothing ever became of the idea. To me this is the biggest infringement on a kid's right to individuality and self-expression possible. I mean are these places of learning or are they prisons? Next they'll give everyone a barcode to get rid of these pesky names everyone wants to use.

They really shouldn't make us wear school uniforms. What ever happened to our freedom of expression!

Compared to other issues of the day, such as the economy, the continuing violence in the world, and poverty, the school uniform issue should not be in the front of Americans' minds when they go to the polls in November.

Not at all important but I tend to think kids would be better off wearing uniforms. I work with a woman whose son called her crying today because the kids were making fun of the shirt he had on. What is this teaching him? That the most important thing is appearance. Some people think that making kids wear uniforms would rob them of their individuality. I disagree. I think it would encourage the right kind of individuality and teach kids that personality is more important than material things, and that kids are in school for education and not for a vanity show.

Stupid and anti-free. Whatever happened to freedom of expression? The mission of schools are to teach, not to be fashion critics. I wear clothes that are comfortable and are my style. The more comfortable I am, the easier I can relax and pay attention. Ive never seen anyone actually wear something that was really offensive anyway. Even if it was, who cares? This is America. I can wear whatever I want.

Most school districts don't require school uniforms because they don't have the funding to provide students with the uniforms, but instead maintain a VERY strict dress code. For instance, at my old school in Kentucky, the district required male students to wear navy blue or tan dress pants with navy blue, yellow, blue or purple shirts. The school I am in now is MUCH less strict and we can wear pretty much anything as long as it's not too extreme. A school dress code such as the one in Bardstown, Kentucky has been implemented for two reasons: (1) to prevent the display of any offensive clothing and (2) to prevent kids from being teased for the clothes they are wearing. First off, school administrators can very easily send the students wearing offensive clothing depicting alcohol or drug use home. While prevention may seem to be a good idea, in most districts, other than those in inner cities, only about 5% of the student body is going to considering wearing offensive or obscene clothing when considering the consequences. The second reason for a strict school dress code system is much more compelling. The idea that we need a strict dress code and school uniforms so that students will not be teased about their clothes. President Clinton embraced the idea of school uniforms in 1997, arguing that disadvantaged children should not have to wear clothes to school that would get them teased. Well, considering that schools such as my old one that have a VERY strict dress code do not provide the disadvantaged families with the funds to go out and by these clothes, what's the point? If they have the money to buy a week's worth of dress shirts and dress pants, surely they have enough money to buy a week's worth of decent clothes. Not one public school in this nation with a very strict dress code such as this provides money to students and their families to buy clothing that complies with the code. Overall school uniforms is just another politically correct idea that really is not benefiting anyone and is hurting some of the most disadvantaged families.