Cold ears, dandruff and bad hair days-all sensible reasons for wearing a hat to school. Sure, we will survive without hats, but it’s not fair. The Stockbridge High School handbook reads, “Students will not wear hats, bandanas or hoods in school during regular school hours (7:37 a.m. to 2:17 p.m.) and detention. All hats and bandanas are to be put in lockers on arrival to school and left there until the end of the day.”

While the language is specific, office aide Brian Smith leaves room for interpretation.

“I have no problem with kids wearing hats in school as long as it’s not in the lunchroom,” said Smith. “The only reasoning I have been told is because it’s in the handbook.”

There is no reasoning or reference to why this rule exists, but it is a clearly enforced by school officials. Principal Richard Cook said, “It’s just respectful, it was in the handbook before I became principal.”

We should be respectful, but that’s not how the youth culture looks at the issue. The authority reasons that the no hats rule is for tradition’s sake. If we wear hats, we are looked down
upon and thought of as disrespectful. According to Emily Post, author of Etiquette, wearing hats in public settings depends on the place and culture.

“Removing a hat is a sign of respect that has long lived history in western culture,” Post said.

We take off our hats because it’s a rule, not because we want to. We shouldn’t be disciplined for showing our sense of style or preventing our ears from being so cold that we can’t concentrate just because we wear a hat.

Some of us have dandruff with no way to take care of it except to hide it beneath a hat, and when we have overslept and don’t have the time to make our hair look presentable, we should be able to cover it up. We don’t wake up and purposely think about being disrespectful at school. Wearing a hat is for personal purposes.

School is a place where we can feel comfortable and at home. We can’t do that if we can’t wear what makes us happy and safe. Schools should encourage us to be our own persons and put reasoning behind the rules.