Beanies, snapbacks, fitted. It doesn’t matter which type; all hats are prohibited in school. The reasons we’ve been given for this rule seem a bit out of date.

Students can wear hats for religious and medical reasons, but not for a fashion statement that causes no unusual harm or disruption to the school day. If our area had a gang problem, the ban would make much more sense. But this is Utica. We don’t have that problem.

Isn’t Utica supposed to be promoting a “college culture”? When walking into our first college class, chances are the professor won’t say “take your hat off.” Why? Because colleges recognize that hats are not disruptive or distracting; they are an article of clothing. Hats are essentially no different than a shirt or hoodie; they just cover up hair.

Some teachers worry that students might use their hats to hide cheating. That’s a risky move just to do well on a test. If a teacher suspects a student is cheating, they could simply ask them to remove the hat and check it.

As for concealing weapons, that excuse is a joke. If you’re planning on bringing in a weapon, would you really put it under a hat? Wouldn’t a pocket, jacket, or a backpack be easier to conceal and carry?

People put too much thought into why a teenager wants to wear a hat; it’s generally for comfort, style, or to cover a bad hair day.

Beanies especially can’t hide much and not many gangs are recognized for wearing beanies, so why all the fuss? The amount of time telling students to take off a hat could be used to watch and listen for actual harmful things in the school.

Most students who wear hats regularly will wear them until they get told to take them off, and will put them back on shortly after. This is crossing a bit of a line; if a member of the administration or a teacher tells you to take off your hat, regardless of the rules, you should comply.

Although it’s a school-wide ban, many guys think there’s a difference in who gets called out on their hats, and that’s gender discrimination.
Girls can often go all day without getting told to take their hats off, and even if they do, they just put it back on until told again. They rarely get it taken away.

“My sister and I had a contest to see who could go longer without having to take off our hats,” senior Donovon Andrews said. “She made it all day, while I only got through a few hours until having to take it off.”

Most districts claim that the hat ban is out of respect, that a hat worn inside is disrespectful. But in today’s society, hats are worn almost everywhere you go; it’s just our generation. Hats are as necessary as everyday clothing for most students.