Much Too Uniform?

Uniforms, once a badge of parochial or private schools, are increasingly common on public school campuses--and with good reason. Neutral clothing can provide safe passage for children who must negotiate gang territories going to and from school.

State law doesn’t allow public school districts to require uniforms--no child can be forced to buy something in order to attend public school. However, dozens of campuses in the San Fernando Valley, Crenshaw district and Hollywood section of Los Angeles and the La Habra, Huntington Park, Santa Ana, Fullerton and Brea districts in Orange County have adopted voluntary policies.

A bill pending in Sacramento would allow districts to require uniforms. In anticipation of the new law, the Long Beach school board has voted to require uniforms at all elementary and middle schools next year. The dress would differ from campus to campus because parents and staff at each school would decide on the best uniform. The schools would use donations to provide uniforms for poor children. Safety is the primary concern of parents and educators who encourage the identical dress. Children clad in uniforms need not worry about gang colors. Also, outsiders who don’t belong on campus are easily identified.

School uniforms aren’t a cure-all, but the regimented dress can provide a neutral coat of arms for children whose clothing might otherwise make them targets. It is a policy worth trying, though we do have reservations about empowering school districts to require uniforms. Far better to let each school make an individual determination.