THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, October 28, 1996              TAG: 9610260022
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A6   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                            LENGTH:   33 lines

OPPOSED TO SCHOOL UNIFORMS

With the reopening of schools comes a handful of complaints and suggestions to make the year better for students. I would like to complain about school uniforms.

I attend a private school. The administration says that if we were to wear uniforms, it would save parents a lot of money. In fact, this is not true. It is not a savings for me, as I do not spend this much on back-to-school clothes.

Also, if we had to wear uniforms, we would still have to buy other clothes to go out in because I am sure no one wants to go to the movies in her ``long-sleeve, button-down oxford blouse'' and ``box-pleated skirt.''

The dress code at my school is stricter than at most schools, but certainly not the strictest in the area. Dress codes teach students to follow rules, and when we get caught not following these rules, we must learn to face the consequences - two demerits at my school. This system prepares us for the rules and laws we must follow in the real world.

Probably most important to me is that school uniforms take away our individuality. Some people think uniforms eliminate the prejudices that students have against their peers who do not wear clothes with the right labels. This is true, but teen-agers express themselves in the clothes they wear, setting them apart from everyone else. Uniforms strip away our uniqueness.

I encourage everyone to speak out against school uniforms.

BILLIE-JEAN SAVAGE

Suffolk, Oct. 7, 1996 by CNB