Putting the lid on unneeded hat policy

Blair's door-to-door hat policy, which states that hats may not be worn inside Blair's walls at any time, is, at best, arbitrary. Although there are some valid concerns regarding the appropriateness of hats in the classroom, there is no reason why hats should be banned at lunch and in the halls.

The administration's reasons for prohibiting hats are based on concerns for student safety. Assistant Principal Richard Wilson justifies the policy, saying that students "play games" with hats by stealing them off one another's heads. Students can play games with anything. If hats became commonplace in school, "games" would quickly become tiresome.

Administrators are also concerned that some hats boast of a gang affiliation and thus pose a danger to the student body. However, there are other ways to express their gang affiliation, such as tattoos.

Another justification cited by the administration is that hats often connote disrespect and inattentiveness. Although it is customary to remove a hat in the presence of an elder, this practice is outdated, particularly in a public-school system. These concerns are irrelevant in the halls and after class.

The hat policy is not dictated by the county, and many MCPS schools do not ban hats at all. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) is one of these schools. According to its web site, "B-CC does not have a dress code, but students are expected to dress appropriately for school." Sherwood High School's web site reads, "Hats will be allowed in class at the discretion of the individual teacher." If these schools have not encountered any problems with hats, then perhaps Blair's policy warrants revision.

Hats further a student's ability to express himself or herself through clothing and lower a student's self-consciousness on a bad hair day. Blair's hat policy should be changed to allow hats in the halls and to leave it up to the individual teachers to decide on the policy within his or her classroom.