Uniform Dress Code in New Jersey Public Schools

I’m not going to give you that old, tired “…when I was back in Catholic School” line about having to wear a uniform, even having to follow a dress code in high school, I’m still baffled as to what the fuss is over public schools turning to school uniforms.

I hear, or at least see, a lot of discussion about kids losing their “freedom of expression” to be able to wear whatever they want, save clothing that may be too revealing or incendiary.

If you have kids going back to school this week and you had to get them a new wardrobe, whatever that may consist of, don’t you feel like you can do without the expense of having to outfit them in whatever the latest fashion is.

Imagine not having to go for new sneakers, which in some cases could run up to 100 dollars a pair.

Or getting them tees and slacks.

And God forbid you stay away from designer names.

With uniforms, while the district mandates (in some cases) that you buy them, they’d be much less cheaper than the above stated.

At least I think so.

According to this:

Uniforms are nothing new. Private and Catholic school students have worn uniforms for centuries, but implementing uniforms in public schools is a topic that has become more popular over the past 10 to 20 years and is always fraught with controversy.

For school districts that have implemented uniform policies in the past, their benefits seem to have outweighed any criticism they had brought.

The Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District has required its elementary and middle school students to wear uniforms for more than a decade. Students must wear beige, navy or black pants or shorts and white, navy, light blue or red polo shirts, dress shirts or turtlenecks without insignia.

“We have found it to be very productive,” Superintendent Joseph Massare said. “It’s minimized competition. Kids are getting to school on time ... It’s now normal procedure.”

Having children wear the same, or similar, clothing each day can help to eliminate bullying based on their appearance, remove distractions and be more economical to purchase than designer clothes or full wardrobes, according to Massare.

Vineland’s public school system is just starting a uniform policy this year, which the administration hopes will help “improve the school climate.”

According to the district’s public relations officer John Sbrana, having all students in uniform is a safety issue. It will help to identify students immediately and, therefore, immediately identify outsiders in the buildings.

True that. Never really thought of that angle.

But still, while it’s been a few years since my daughter’s been out of school, it seems more practical in the long run to have school adopt uniform policies; especially when it comes to clothing that’s too revealing or incendiary.

And then again, it puts them more in a state of mind as to the real reason why they’re in school in the first place: to learn and not show off!