POINT COUNTERPOINT

Uniforms level the playing field

In an ideal world, children from all walks of life would come together at their community school and be taught exactly the same, regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, social background or academic ability. They would receive the same information, be given the same tools and the same opportunities. You know, that fabled level playing field.

In the real world this doesn’t happen nearly as often as we would like. Sitting comfortably in the adult world and looking back on school, it’s easy to forget the tremendous effect cliques and social status had on our education. How different would our lives be now if we hadn’t been so obsessed with the new “must have” of the season? What if we had a chance to go back and level that playing field?

Students of Havelock Middle School are being given in a once in a lifetime opportunity. They will be offered a chance to experience education that has been raised one step closer to its ideal. Their school will essentially be free of one of the biggest social have/have not indicators: the “new” clothes.

The school hopes that by requiring uniformity in school attire, they will help ensure the safety of their students and create a sense of community and pride. I believe that this will be only a pleasant by-product of the change. Children who were looked down on for their “look,” who were bullied for the nerdy shirt or for not having that new pair of jeans will suddenly be on even footing. One red, logo-free polo looks just like the next, right?

Certainly the kid who leaves his new jersey at home will be upset by this change, but what about the one who didn’t have a jersey to begin with? For the first time in their lives, many students who were at a disadvantage from the day they entered the public school system will be able to set foot inside the school with no thought other than what they are going to learn today.

As for the school that decries the loss of personal creativity and expression, I have to ask what has become of our nation if our only outlet for creativity is our attire. If children can find no other way to express their individuality, we have bigger problems to worry about.

According to the U.S. Department of Education Web site, schools that adopted uniform policies experienced decreased violence and theft among students over designer clothing or expensive sneakers; fewer gang members wearing gang colors and insignia at school; better discipline; greater resistance to peer pressure; and better concentration on school work. Schools also found the uniform was helpful in identifying intruders who came to the school.

Most schools already employ a dress policy, prohibiting clothes with certain language or gang colors. By simply taking the next step and setting all the students as social equals, we’re just giving them a greater chance at making the most of their education. And, cliché though it is, shouldn’t just one more student making it be enough?

Sarah Maynard is the interim editor of the Havelock News. She has experience wearing a uniform; she served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years.

Uniforms don’t improve schools

Student uniforms at Havelock Middle School are being hailed as a cure-all, but the policy is more placebo than panacea.

Administrators expect the uniforms to increase safety, diminish discipline problems, boost academic performance and bolster school pride. These ambitious objectives require thoughtful solutions — but mandating cosmetic conformity doesn’t pass even the most intellectually incurious smell test.

Will uniforms really make students safer? Khaki-clad kids can’t tuck weapons into their waistbands as inconspicuously as their counterparts who wear baggy jeans, but sadly, this is no deterrent. Students carry bulging backpacks capable of carting around an arsenal without arousing suspicion.

Uniforms can help teachers and administrators identify someone who’s trespassing, but not nearly as effectively as school-issued ID cards worn on lanyards around students’ necks.

Can the threads improve school performance on standardized tests? Many point to private schools’ academic superiority and suggest that uniforms are part of the equation. From kindergarten through sixth grade, I attended a parochial Lutheran school in Holiday, Fla. that did not require uniforms. Some students dressed conservatively, some came cloaked in loose, baggy styles.

All excelled on test day.

Stern yet compassionate teachers, a workhorse approach to academics and strong parent involvement propelled my classmates and I ahead of our peers in the local school system. I noticed the achievement gap when I transferred to the public middle school in seventh grade.

A multimillion-dollar campus, computer labs with rows of gleaming iMacs and veritable platoons of guidance and career counselors couldn’t replace the chalk dust and cramped classrooms of a school where learning was all that mattered.

Neither can polo shirts and khaki pants.

As for school pride, I understand and can sympathize with HMS staffers’ desire to eliminate any perception of inferiority. If you’ve ever visited Havelock Middle, you know its lackluster reputation in some circles is unwarranted.

Students should be proud of their school, but a group identity shouldn’t be the predominant source of any teenager’s pride. Individuality should be respected, accepted, even celebrated — not sacrificed for the dubious cachet of a school where everyone is well-dressed.

School athletic teams, curricular programs like Junior ROTC and community organizations require uniforms, as do the U.S. armed forces and many civilian occupations. Members of these groups made a decision to join, and their pride is highly influenced by their exercise of free will.

You can’t force pride by taking away choices.

Corey Friedman is the Havelock News’ staff writer and photographer. Contact him via e-mail at cfriedman@freedomenc.com.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Weigh in! Send your opinion on the school uniform issue to smaynard@freedomenc.com.