Students are increasingly concerned about what they wear and are distracted from the learning process. Although many students are unhappy with the rigidity of some of the new school uniform policies, the policies should remain in place to increase school safety, devote students' attention to learning, and reduce bullying and peer pressure. In the early 1990s, American political and educational leaders realized that the U.S. education system was experiencing low academic standards, increasing violence, and disenchanted teachers. In 1996, President Bill Clinton discussed increasing school uniform requirements during his State of the Union address. Clinton called on school leaders to make uniforms an important part of their efforts to improve school safety and discipline. In late February of that year, he issued a memorandum to the U.S. Secretary of Education, ordering that the Government's Manual on School Uniforms be distributed to each of the country's 16,000 school districts. And in his State of the 1997