Uniforms in Public Schools Middle Through High - Increase Education Levels!

Let me start off by saying that approximately 80% of kids in the United States are bullied, especially because of the clothing they wear. There is about 100 public high school districts and 375 public middle school districts in Illinois, meaning that there are 2,100,403 students in public schools in illinois. This means that in Illinois alone, 1,680,332 children are bullied. This number can be greatly decreased if the Illinois Board of Education instituted a uniform law in public schools throughout Illinois.

I know what you're probably thinking: "But, uniforms take away their ability to express themselves!" Although uniforms may somewhat restrict this ability, this is not entirely true, and not necessarily a negative thing. These days, children often feel obligated to live up to a certain "beauty standard". They often wear excessively revealing or inappropriate (in other ways) clothes. It's so popular to wear expensive brands such as "Aeropostale", but many children can't afford the luxury of buying new clothes to be socially accepted, and thus cannot afford these things.
In addition to decrease in bullying, uniforms also focus children's attention to learning rather than looks. According to an article on Ocala.com, by Jamie N. Jones, "Uniforms would encourage 'team spirit' and a common identity, and they would eliminate the distraction 'statement' clothing encourages. Most importantly, they would encourage the concept that school is where thinking is more important than looks." Schools with uniforms also show higher graduation and attendance levels. This is good in today's advancing society. With higher education levels, more can be accomplished.

The world is advancing and we need to keep up. Decreased bullying rates and higher education levels are important and will make a large impact on future generations. The only thing that I may need to specify are the appearance of uniforms. If they are completely unappealing to the children, in may unanimously lower self esteem levels. As long as they look okay, uniforms will have a chance to greatly increase society's abilities. So, I ask you to please sign this petition and abolish bullying and start the new age of education.