The school uniform policy has been a hot topic for a long time, not just at Miami
High, but at many other schools. Some students really don’t like uniform rules. They believe the rules stop them from showing their personal style and how they want to dress. They feel their freedom is being taken away by the dress code.

For instance, junior Abraham Martinez believes that uniforms restrict the students’
ability to express themselves. Sophomore Channel Infante also stated, “I also feel that is
unfair because students want to wear whatever they want and they want to express
themselves.” Junior Mauricio Paez agreed, saying, “I feel like I’m obligated to wear the
uniform, and I find it absurd to get in trouble wearing something that is not offensive.” Junior Angelina Pieri thinks that the school should let us wear anything we want.

On the other hand, some students like uniforms. Junior Genesis Cruz said that the
uniform is important because it represents the school and helps make students stand out
special as a group. It gives the school a clear identity. Junior Liz Lopez feels the uniform
does not change her way of expressing herself at all. She feels she can still be herself even
while wearing the required clothes.

Teachers are also split on the issue. For example, social studies teacher Mr. Norori
thinks the uniform policy is great. He said, “It is a little bit more lenient than when I was a
student.” He thinks the rule is good because it might help students with focus.

But teachers like Ms. Amoretti, who teaches Spanish, think the students need at least
one day off from wearing uniforms. She says this because she has seen students get bored of the uniform and then break the rules to show how they feel. She said that they want to wear their own clothes sometimes to feel more like themselves.

One criticism of uniforms is that some students face financial problems and might be
unable to buy uniforms because they are expensive. However, ESOL teacher Ms. Diaz said,
“I don’t think families face that much trouble buying uniforms because the tops are polos and not actually real school tops, so it’s not that expensive.