Next year both of my two young grandsons will be in school.  Damien will be in the second grade and Alexander will be entering kindergarten. The school they will be attending is in Akron, which is the same school Damien currently attends in the first grade. Alexander will start needing uniforms for the first time next year.

Damien was talking about it when the boys came over for a visit last weekend.  He mentioned that one of the uniform requirements is wearing a belt every day. Damien does not like to wear belts, so he is rather glum about it. He is not yet sure of all other uniform requirements, but he does know now about the belt.

Later the next day, I decided to find out what the other uniform rules were. Then he could see how restrictive (or not) they were. Apparently, all of the schools in Damien’s district require uniforms up through the eighth grade. The uniforms involve an as-yet undetermined color scheme. 

However, I did find out the rules about the clothing that was to be worn. Pants are to be basic, khaki-type slacks (no jeans), and worn with a belt. They need button-down shirts with collars.

Vests or sweaters can be worn, but not sweatshirts. Shoes are to be non-descript, with no characters or logos. Shoes can be only white, brown or black.

There are a little more to the rules and rules are a little different for girls. Those are the basics. The information we found does not address the subjects of jewelry or hair, but I would not be surprised to find that there will soon be regulations for both of these as well.

The more I thought about these rules, the more I disliked them. It is not that I disliked the idea of having uniform rules. Uniforms have been used in many school districts with much success. 

The part with which I disagreed was that the uniforms were only for students through their first eight grades. Why stop at the eighth grade?

After all, it is the older kids who seem to have all of the problems, such as jealousy over clothing and personal belongings. Older students are more competitive about their personal wardrobes. They often tease or chastise other students who do not dress a certain way. 

You also hear stories of about students’ designer jackets, or shoes, being stolen from lockers at school, that usually is at high school, and elementary school.

Most of the younger children do not care about what other kids are wearing. For the most part, they hardly pay any attention. So, putting elementary kids in uniforms all of a sudden may not actually change anything.

Some people say that having students wear uniforms will put everyone on the same footing, and make all the students feel equal. Perhaps this is true for some, but it is doubtful that most students really feel that way when they are wearing a uniform. The kids are smart, and they know who is in the uniforms, and they also know almost everyone else nearby as well.

Maybe it would be helpful if uniforms were required in all the high schools. That might at least keep the designer clothing out of the schools, and avoid temptation.

The uniforms are very good in theory. However, it is doubtful that they are actually very practical – especially when older students are exempt from wearing them.

Reach Paul R. Harbaugh at
prharbaugh@hotmail.com