Campus hats and hoods policy ridiculous

Posted Dec. 28, 2021

Written for Dec. 9, 2021 print edition

By T Gedi

Staff Editor

Little Red Riding Hood? Cat in the Hat? What if we just changed their names to “Little Red Riding” and “Cat”? Takes away from the whole point of their stories, right? Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, they’d have to at David Douglas because hats and hoods are strictly forbidden.

Over the years, the district has made significant progress in loosening up the dress code and giving students more rights to express themselves, but staff continues to crack down on hats and hoods.

Administrators argue that banning hats/hoods helps them identify non-students who’re on campus. Well last time I checked we have a whole security team and surveillance cameras all over the building yet strangers can be seen jogging and walking their pets on the breezeway. If strangers are able to access our campus with no hassle, explain to me how a hat/hoodie ban will stop strangers from roaming onto our campus with no hassle. Let it be known that the hats/hoodies ban isn’t even enforced outside. Notice how these rules and reasonings keep contradicting each other?

In reality, this reasoning is just a huge cop out. The real reason is obviously about control and respectability. If David Douglas truly cared about student’s safety, they’d take the misogyny female students face at the hands of male students more seriously. They’d take the safety of queer students more seriously.

Let’s just talk about the hypocrisy of the hat/hood ban while we’re at it. Administrations behave as if the hat/hood ban doesn’t apply to them. I’ve seen my fair share of baseball caps worn by staff on the clock. If the rule was so important why aren’t staff telling each other to take their hats off? Shouldn’t they be setting an example.

In general David Douglas’s dress code is so inconsistently enforced. Not that I’m purposefully looking, however, sagging is banned yet it happens all. the. time. So bums out, hats not out? I know sagging is harder to enforce because it’ll be awkward for all parties involved, but my point still stands. If you’re going to be loose on rules, it’s just evident that said rules aren’t as important as they’re made out to be.

Fashion means a lot to lots of students at Douglas and High School is the perfect place to find personal style. Hell, even I can’t get through the day unless my outfit looks good. Treating school like Paris Fashion Week is what motivates me to even come (academics motivate me too, of course!). As the weather gets colder, hats are definitely a statement piece to my outfits. Now when a teacher asks me to remove my hat it just ruins the vibe. All it takes is a baseball cap to give an outfit that razzle dazzle it needs. When the hat’s gone, so is the razzle dazzle. So very tragic.

If students can’t explore their way of self expression at high school, arguably one of the most transformative years of one’s life, where are they supposed to? Riddle me that.