School uniform is a practice which dates to the 16th century in the United Kingdom. It is believed that the Christ's Hospital school in London in was the first school to use a uniform for its students. The practice of wearing school uniform has been adopted by many other countries, and is now common in many parts of the world. Uniforms can be regarded as promoting social equality among students and an esprit de corps , but have also been criticised for promoting a form of uniformity characteristic of militarism. The decision as to whether to implement school uniform policy or not is a controversial one and also polarised in societies and countries. In countries such as the United Kingdom, South Africa and a number of Asian nations, school children have to wear approved school uniforms that conform to the uniform policy of their school. In modern Europe, Britain and Ireland stand out as the only countries where school uniform is widely adopted by state schools and generally supported by national and local governments, although there is no legislation governing school uniform in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Australia, each school or school system can set its own uniform policy. Wearing a uniform is compulsory in most Australian private and all Catholic schools, as well as in most public schools, although it is sometimes less enforced in primary schools that have uniforms.
Making All Students Feel Comfortable
‘White Male Default’
Isabella Panasko, Writer May 21, Districts will say that some clothing is too distracting for others. A 6th grade girl from New Orleans was told to leave the classroom because she wore her hair with braided extensions and that was against the hair policy. To learn more, I asked a few female students about their experiences with dress code. Isabella: What have your experiences been in public schools with dress codes?
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While a dress code is supposed to make the school environment more conducive to learning, it frequently does the opposite. At East Longmeadow High School, Massachusetts, six out of the nine dress code regulations targeted female students. The dress code had not been updated since the s. These things are distracting to other students, particularly males. Sexist rules also set a precedent for men, she adds. Please do what you can to neutralize it. My girl was dress coded two days in a row. One more code and she will have detention.
Amber Thomas. They are most commonly accused of being racist , sexist , reinforcing gender stereotypes , and promoting sexualization. This is the first piece in a forthcoming series where we examine how public high schools police bodies differently and attempt to add data to each of these conversations. Ladies, when was the first time you were made to feel embarrassed and sexualized for what you wore?
