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School Board Issues New Hat Dress Code |
On February 12, the El Segundo High School Discipline Committee ruled that hats "may be worn on the El Segundo High School campus outdoors to protect from harmful solar radiation," said Dr. Hart. The Committee was called to re-evaluate the previous dress code policy concerning hats, which said that no hats were to be worn on campus. They were called to do so because the state of California ruled that due to skin cancer danger, hats may no longer be prohibited by public school dress codes.
The new dress code policy states that any type of hat may be worn on campus, so long as the hat is not gang related or worn in a "gang related manner." If the hat "disrupts the educational process," which is illegal, it will also not be allowed.
The committee had three different options for the hat dress code policy. The first option was that a school hat could be purchased from clubs and organizations on campus, and these would be the only types of hats allowed. The second option was that a single type of hat would be issued, and if the hat was needed, only this type of hat could be purchased and worn on campus. The third option was that the students would get to wear any type of hat, so long as it was not gang affiliated.
When the Discipline Committee presented the idea of one universal type of hat, it brought about a problem bigger than the hat dress code policy. The First Amendment right of freedom of the press would be violated, and students would not have the option of expressing themselves. However, the committee did in fact rule in favor of student expression when they ruled in favor of any type of hat.
According to Mr. Garza, one of the main reasons hats were prohibited from school was because of their affiliation with gangs. Hats are often used by security to identify outsiders, and according to Garza, "Ninety-nine percent of the time," a person on campus wearing a hat is typically not enrolled in the school. Hart said, "Often unsavory characters" are the ones violating the rules, and wearing hats on campus. Hats also became an issue of discipline with teachers who had to remove the hat from students' in class.
The ESHS Discipline Committee is generally made up of ten or less people, two of which are parents, three are teachers, two are students, in addition to Garza and Mr. Romo. The students are always chosen from ASB, and the representatives are constantly changing. Previous members of the Discipline Committee include teacher, Mr. Sabosky, parent, Mrs. Briney.
According to Hart, the policies for changes made to dress code are first decided upon by the Discipline Committee, and then these changes are shown to the faculty. The faculty can then change minimal concepts concerning the board's recommendation and either approve or disapprove it. Once passed by the faculty, the students will receive a form stating the new policy, as was done on February 12.