Mandatory School Uniforms and Freedom of Expression

Autor/in	Vopat, Mark C.
Titel	Mandatory School Uniforms and Freedom of Expression
Quelle	In: Ethics and Education, 5 (2010) 3, S.203-215 (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1744-9642
Schlagwörter	Urban Schools; Age; Freedom of Speech; Childrens Rights; Boards of Education; School Uniforms; Cognitive Ability; Elementary Education; Middle Schools; Personal Autonomy; Ohio + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Urban area; Urban areas; School; Schools; Stadtregion; Stadt; Schule; Alter; Lebensalter; Redefreiheit; 'Children''s rights'; Kindesrecht; Ausschuss; School uniform; Schulkleidung; Denkfähigkeit; Elementarunterricht; Middle school; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Individuelle Autonomie
Abstract	On 10 December 2007 the Akron City School Board--following the precedent set by many school systems across the United States and the world--instituted a policy of mandatory school uniforms for all students in grades K-8. The measure was met with mixed reviews. While many parents supported the measure, a small group of parents from a selective, arts-focussed, middle school (grades 4-8) objected to the policy. It was their contention that children attending this particular school should be exempt from the policy since their children were particularly creative, and the new policy constituted an unjust infringement of their child's freedom of expression. In this article I argue that the actions of the school board, while antithetical to freedom of expression in general, do not violate the children's freedom of expression since such a right cannot properly be said to apply to the majority of children within this age group. In arguing this position, I draw on two primary ideas. The first is based on the idea that children's rights exist on a continuum from rights that protect their interests to those that protect their choices. Since the majority of children at the age specified by the policy fall on the interest side of the rights spectrum, restricting their liberty with respect to dress is not morally problematic. Secondly, I draw upon the idea of the distinction between "mere expression" as opposed to "substantive expression" to argue that most children, particularly those in the pre-teen years, lack the cognitive ability to exercise the latter. (Contains 11 notes.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10