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BALTIMORE-When 15-year-old Michael Thomas left home for school last May, he couldn’t have been prouder.On his feet, thanks to his mother’s hard work, was a pair of new Air Jordans-$100 worth of leather, rubber and status(身份)that to today’s youth are the Mercedes-Benz of athletic footwear.The next day it was James David Martin, 17, who was walking down the street in Thomas’ new sneakers, while Thomas lay dead in a field not far from his school.Martin was arrested(逮捕)for murder.
For the Baltimore school system, Thomas’ death was the last straw.He was the third youngster to have been killed over his clothes in five years.Dozens of others had been robbed of brand-new sneakers, fashionable jogging suits, leather jackets and jewelry.
This fall, the school board announced a dress code preventing leather shirts and jackets, jogging suits, gold chains and other expensive items.Joseph Smith, Board President, said, “Clothes have just gotten out of control.”Across the nation, parents, school officials, psychologists and even some children agree.They say that today’s youngsters, throughout the nation, have become clothes concerned(关心).They worry about them, compete over them, pay no attention to school for them and sometimes even rob and kill for them.
In many cases, students are so concerned about what they and their classmates are wearing, they forget what they come to school for, educators said.In response, many public schools, mainly in eastern cities, have used school uniforms to cut down on competition.Educators say, in the present fashion climate, dressing students alike allows them more freedom to be normal individuals.